


Counterpart

by untilmynextstory



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Crushes, Demons, Dreams, Eichen | Echo House, F/M, Mental Illness, Supernatural - Freeform, Teen Wolf, Teens, Void Stiles, Werewolves, banshee - Freeform, car crash, mental health, mtv, sleeping, slowburn, wake up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-04-27 02:10:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 63,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5029654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/untilmynextstory/pseuds/untilmynextstory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[koun-ter-pahrt] One of two parts that fit, complete, or complement one another.</p><p>[Season 3B]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Purgatory

**This story it starts in 3B.**

**If you guys are looking for a pairing you will not really find one in this or I guess I should say it will be more of a slow burn and as of now this will be a standalone story the fate of the sequel depends on how season 5 goes as season 4 does not even exist for me and how they are taking season 5 is questionable.**

**Although what I have in mind for my character and her story it would probably diverge a lot from season 5 to begin with, but it would be nice to have canon material to fall back on that makes sense.**

**So before you even begin to read, I want to thank you for taking the time for checking out this story and I hope you like it and reviews are always appreciated!**

**-Tori**

* * *

This was his favorite – preferred – part of his recurring dreams – nightmares. It was before that pressure in his chest would start throbbing accelerating his pulse with a terror that remained unknown – anonymous. All he knew that it terrified him to the point he needed to force himself awake from the dream within a dream. He would scream until his throat was raw and hoarse even then he wasn't sure if he was still awake.

But before the trepidation, the calm before the storm, his mind gave him a reprieve.

He had to travel through a dilapidated house that was waterlogged. Wolfsbane provided the decorations. Sometimes he thought the house represented the Hale House eradicated by Kate Argent. Since the start of all of the supernatural problems seemed to pinpoint back to that one event since it was because of Peter's vendetta that made him bite Scott. Though sometimes Stiles just blamed the Argents in general for not following their code as Gerard's ruthlessness caused Deucalion to become the power hungry Demon Wolf. He still didn't even know what that meant then again the Hales were still a mystery to the pack as no one knew the exact amount of their knowledge or power as Peter wasn't exactly a reliable source.

Sometimes the house seemed to be his and the emptiness reminded him of his mother. How his home had never been the same – it was void. Some days the furniture seemed to resemble his mother's rocking chair or their living room couch. The house wasn't cluttered with case files or on the darkest days scattered empty liquor bottles. Sometimes he wondered what his house – life – would have been like if his mother was still physically alive. Would his life have been plagued with paranormal dilemmas or would he still be trying to get on first line on the lacrosse team.

He never ventured far into the open space of the house on those days.

Then sometimes the house was nothing. It was just a lonely house abandoned by its occupants – neglected. He didn't know the symbolism surrounding those days. Well he believed he didn't. He knew all his dreams were manifested by his subconscious about his fears. His greatest fear that could go along with this setting was his fear of abandonment from everyone he loved.

In the dark on those days, sometimes he believed he saw the faint glow of yellow seep through the black.

His mind was starting to become a labyrinth. After each door, it was just horror and terror. No break just more confusion to what the exit led to.

Sometimes he wondered if he, Scott, and Allison didn't seriously question enough what they were doing when being surrogate sacrifices for their parents. The chain of events that they probably triggered whose debris affected all of Beacon Hills. He also had thoughts that Jennifer knew they would sacrifice themselves triggering the Nemeton. Giving her either more power or she made sure she wasn't the only one going to suffer from their twisted fate. With every adversary they have faced, Stiles felt they were always missing something from the picture. Everyone else always had a plan B to take down the pack. Just when they thought one war was over another started and Stiles realized their mistake. They weren't fighting wars they were still fighting battles. They weren't any closer to a victory especially now since they jump started the Nemeton drawing all the supernatural creatures back to the beacon.

Now, he was a casualty to this war.

If demented nightmares was the preamble what was going to come after this?

Still he would become relieved when his mind allowed the house to form.

He welcomed the feeling of the cold water soaking the end of his flannel pajama pants. How his feet meshed with the soggy wood until he reached the end of the hallway where the lone wooden crooked door stood unwelcoming – uninviting.

He remembered the first time he opened the door. The room was white – blindingly white like the lights in a hospital, but no matter how many times he blinked his eyes never could adjust. Besides the hue of the room, it seemed to never end like a black hole because when he turned around the door would be gone. The only other object to fill the room besides him was a sink and mirror. When he saw the mirror for the first time, he wanted to throw up it was the closest reaction that would have happened in reality. The mirror reflected just him with blood smeared over his face and hands. He couldn't recall if blood ever coated him like this. He remembered a paralytic substance coating him and bruises with a split lip, but never blood in an amount like this and it wasn't  _his_  blood. He didn't know if it was a premonition or this site of him covered in plasma manifested from some latent fear or memory of him being – turning – into a killer. Despite all the attacks to the pack none of them ever had to draw blood even when it would be justifiable – self-defense, but it was an unsaid by-law that they didn't kill no matter what not even when the Alphas killed Erica not even when they killed Boyd. It was just one day one of them were going to be covered in blood and he was the frail pale defenseless human – an easy target something Gerard reminded him of.

He knew it was just a dream, but he could feel the stickiness on his palms the metallic scent was fresh on his tongue. He felt the fluid seeping through his shirt as his movement smeared the blood to a new spot. He remembered turning on the sink only for his hands to be clean – no trace of blood - not even under his fingernails. His clothes were clean – spotless – not even a rust looking stain to show its proof.

That was when he saw the metal bathtub out of place with the white of the room. The same type of metal bathtub that he submerged himself in to save his dad, he died in that tub. He still felt the chill of the water hitting his toes before it inundated his whole being before it made his heart stop.

He walked over to the tub where water was spilling out of its confines a puddle of liquid mixed with mistletoe surrounded it rippling as it touched his feet. The water was ice cold. As he tiptoed to the circular object, he expected to only see his reflection in the water. He didn't expect there to be a body of a female girl to be seemingly sleeping – or dead – in the bin.

As soon as he put his hand in the water and made contact with the girl's body she sprung to life rising out of the tub causing the metal tub to break bringing them both down on the cold ceramic floor. Water coated them both as she gasped for oxygen to fill her lungs and he gasped out of shock.

That was when he met Gabriella or Gabi as he nicknamed her, she seemed to not mind when he called her that. They both determined very quickly they were dreaming or sharing a dream.

Gabriella was shorter than him maybe around 5' 4''. She had long brown hair and the most unique blue eyes that seared him. They were so clear – so bright – well he imagined as now they seemed to be dull there was no luminescence in them. He had a feeling he seen those eyes before. If they weren't inside his mind and darkness wasn't surrounding his heart he would call her beautiful. It was funny to him because he hasn't called or considered another girl beautiful since Lydia Martin. He was a guy and of course recognized a pretty girl in his wake, but none charred him as Lydia did well until Gabi, but considering the situation he didn't let those thoughts fester. There was something familiar about Gabi but it seemed his mind turned hazy if he pondered it – her - for too long.

It took a week after dreaming together for her to begin speaking to him despite him telling her his name and where he was from – his current predicament with the side effects of him sacrificing himself. He also told her about the supernatural world because with this how could she not believe him. She didn't give any verbal cues she was listening, but he knew she was by her subtle ticks of her head as she explored the terrain of his dream. They learned very quickly it was benign to stay in the white room. She still didn't give him any information she only confirmed she was from Beacon Hills too born and currently raised.

After he insisted that they could find each other in actual reality she immediately shot him down declaring where she was at she would never leave. That was when he took notice of her attire. It was the same every night consisting of a muted blue shirt and gray sweatpants. He never brought it up and researching a  _Gabriella_  in Beacon Hills turned out to be futile as he could barely read half the time. He knew he could ask Scott or his dad about any Gabriellas that could inhabit Beacon Hills, but he wasn't really ready to share her – his side effect – with them. He knew despite all the supernatural issues that would make a random girl be his counterpart in dreams would be palpable there was just something  _off_  with this.

Since then they settled into this white room, like now. She called it Purgatory. Since it wasn't cleansing or purifying them they agreed it was the Roman Catholic doctrine of what Purgatory was: a place or state of suffering. He learned very quickly Gabriella was very smart and knowledgeable although just because she did give him the detailed synopsis of  _Dante's Divine Comedy_ he could be bias to judge her IQ score. Although he did find the epic poem fitting as his sin that was performed out of love caused them to be in this Purgatory.

Because that was what it was. They were both suffering from night terrors – his night terrors - that left them both screaming themselves awake to the point he thought their vocal cords would become strain or leave their throats bloody.

It was the place where he would watch an invisible force drag Gabriella away screaming for him – for help - while the same force dragged him away from her. The darkness clouded his vision and the pressure on his chest increased as he would end up in another section of his mind in a nightmare or he would wake up in his bed tangled in his sheets or in his dad's concerned embrace.

Today was no different except she didn't emerge from the metal tub sometimes she would already be there or she would come through the door sometime frazzled or sometimes she would be eerily calm as she would give him a smile as she would sit next to him on the floor. He would usually start the conversation describing a new-found symptom of his ailment or when he wasn't particularly in the mood to discuss the supernatural he would talk about random things random facts about his life. Nothing too deep though.

When she did talk, she would try to decipher his dreams and meanings.

"You know my favorite holiday is Halloween." Gabriella causally mentioned breaking the lull of silence as they sat in their usual position of Indian style.

When she did talk it was about what she drew sometimes he caught her saying how she would show it to him, but other than that she never shared anything personal he did get her to reveal her favorite color which was orange. So he thought having the favorite holiday of Halloween seemed fitting. Although she did mention she only had one friend and her name was Meredith. Therefore, he was surprised she would mention something as trivial as her favorite holiday.

Stiles looked at her curiously today her eyes didn't seem that cloudy, "Really?"

Gabriella gave him a timid smile as she traced on the floor with her finger, "Yeah…I mean now I wouldn't exactly say it is still my favorite, but when I was little I loved it."

"I think Halloween would be my  _least_  favorite holiday," Stiles muttered looking down at his hand with the extra finger, as it seemed to be Halloween every day in Beacon Hills. His favorite holiday was starting to be Cyber Monday because what could go wrong or come alive from shopping on the internet. Although knowing him he might actually buy some type of monster book like from Harry Potter the binding waiting to munch on his fingers.

"So your mind won't conjure up a bowl of candy to munch on?" Gabriella asked jokingly as she let out a laugh.

Stiles actually smiled for the first time in his dream as her laugh filled the room. He couldn't remember the last time he made someone laugh instead of them looking at him with worry. "You sure you want to take the risk of eating candy there might be razors in it."

He watched Gabriella shrug her shoulders at his morbid comment before she spoke again her eyes that uncharacteristically bright clear blue observing him, "You know eventually this is going to stop."

He did know that. Every night – every second – the pressure in his chest increased. He felt that darkness tug on his heart. He knew whatever this Purgatory was, was only a prelude to something else - something else more sinister. He knew why this was happening to him. He just couldn't figure out how or why Gabriella was involved.

Stiles also noticed her voice sounded  _sad_  and he heard her shuffle closer to him before she spoke up again, "Stiles I have a feeling it is going to come to a point one of us isn't going to wake up from these dreams."

Stiles wanted to ask her did she have a hard time distinguishing if she was awake, but he didn't because he already knew: she didn't. It was only him that struggled with what was conscious. She told him she woke up screaming and from the scared look on her face he didn't ask her again about it.

Stiles suspected Gabriella was some sort of supernatural creature – she was something, but if she wasn't going to tell him her last name he knew getting her to tell him her supernatural identity wasn't going to happen. He sometimes saw her get a faraway look in her eyes or she would look around the room as if she was hearing something, but their only other occasional sound was of the faucet that dripped murky water. Just her behavior it reminded him of Lydia when she would hear things.

Stiles looked at her. Her eyes and face full of worry and fear, "You mean I won't wake up."

"I didn't say that." She refuted.

"But you implied it." She didn't answer back because he was right. "Why won't you tell me your full name?" He asked he knew his voice came off harsh, but she did bring up a point with one of them not waking up and it would be a smart move to find each other to figure out what exactly is happening.

"You know who I am Stiles." Gabriella answered him deflecting from his question, "but finding me isn't going to help me or you. Where I am at…everything echoes…"

Stiles looked at her confused, but then he felt the pressure building where his lungs fought for oxygen as panic siege his veins. They both knew what was coming next as he gasped for air and the lights that illuminated the place grew dimmer and trees vines sprouted from the floor. They both looked at each other horrified, as this was a new development in his dreams. He watched as the Nemeton sprouted from the floor, the dust from the tiles coated them.

The tendrils from the bark latched around his ankle as they both tried to make a run. They both knew it was pointless as Gabriella grabbed his hands to delay the inevitable; the vines quickly dragged her down to the ceramic floor her chin collided with the floor. Stiles thought she knocked herself out, but her grip on his hand never lessened instead she spitted out blood onto the white floor.

She bit through her tongue.

He knew it was only seconds before the force would become too strong for them to overcome. "Pl-please…y-y-your na-name," Stiles forced out as his gripped her hand not caring if he left a bruise or broken bones.

Stiles watched as blood leaked out of her mouth as a running faucet as she answered him, "Martin. Gabriella Martin." He heard before their hands separated. He felt that terror seize him bringing him awake causing him to scream until his throat was raw and to he was aware he was awake in his room.

His body was clammy from sweat that caused his clothes to stick to him as a second skin. Stiles was glad his dad was working the late shift this night and his sleep wasn't disturbed by him.

He got up from his bed and removed his soiled shirt. He grabbed another plain t-shirt to wear while his mind tried to decipher another dream, as he knew sleep wasn't going to come back to him easily tonight. Just to make sure he was awake he counted his fingers as he sat down at his desk and remembered a pivotal detail from this night's dream.

He got her name.

* * *

Gabriella lurched up from the bed screaming, but she didn't get far as the restraints on the bed kept her body flat on the thin mattress of her bed. This screaming wasn't the screaming that took a break this was one of her long screams that cracked windows or would burst pipes. This was the scream where the voices would get their messages across – their warnings. She hated this scream. But it cleared her head – the thoughts – their meanings.

When the duration of the scream was over she then realized the orderlies rushing into the room trying to get her arm still to find a vein.

That's when the panic seeped in and she began screaming for a different reason. She knew it was pointless but she tried to move away from them. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to go back to that place – that nightmare – inside another boy's mind. The same boy's mind since late September where she emerged from that metal tub confused and scared out of her mind she couldn't handle another night of watching the bags under his eyes become darker.

Ever since that night, she heard things. The echoes in this place became louder – they were screaming. In return, she started screaming more and she had to go to the close unit and they had to sedate her, but then it brought dormant memories back to the surface of the crash, yellow, and riddles.

"Pl-please d-do-don't, I don't want to sleep anymore," Gabriella choked out in broken sobs. She knew her wrists were going to become irritated from her trying to pull them out to get away from them. She fleetingly thought maybe telling Stiles her name maybe he could help her – find her.

"Hey sweetheart, you know I love it when you struggle." Calvin Adams said, Brunski's new best friend. Calvin was young she estimated to be around 26 with a sinewy frame with blonde hair cut in a buzz cut. His other partner Aaron Davis was holding her arm still as Calvin taunted her with the needle containing Haldol.

"Please, no…I w-won't s-scream, please." Gabriella begged as the needle came closer. Her blue eyes wide with fear.

"We know sweetie you will be asleep." Aaron told her pushing her hair back from her face.

Salty tears poured out of Gabriella's eyes as she felt the needle prick her skin her struggle to fight gone. She felt the tears dampen her pillow as her body began to lose its fight to stay awake. She blamed her grandmother for this – for her predicament.

She wished she never told her grandmother about what would happen to her father or what was going to happen to her because it started the experiments. The music, the water drops, the poking the prodding and her throat sore from the multiple screaming matches. It began that start of her indefinite stay at Eichen House.

As her eyes fluttered close to enter the badland of dreams that was when she heard  _that_  voice along with the scraping of chalk on the wall.

" _In your future and in your past_

_I come and go so senseless and fast_

_My purpose is unknown to all_

_Remembrance seems to drift then fall_

_I travel by night and fade by day_

_Because that is my common way_

_What am I?"_


	2. Inquiry

Stiles leaned against the cool locker fatigue in his bones he could have fell asleep waiting for the strawberry blonde to arrive at her locker. After his night terror, he quickly dug out his old middle school yearbook looking for Gabriella Martin, but the words – letters – were running down the pages. It did help that he fell asleep at his desk looking at the third grade class and the powernap made the words readable. She was right he did know her then, but he didn't know her now.

His brain tried to rack through anything regarding this Martin girl, but he couldn't remember anything other than after her father's car crash she stopped attending their middle school and was transferred somewhere else. He believed he heard she was emotionally fragile and school would be too much for her. He didn't question it especially since he knew the pain of losing a parent two years later.

So his next plan of action was to ask her cousin, Lydia Martin, about her and her known whereabouts. The only problem he didn't know how to approach the topic of her cousin without Lydia becoming suspicious. Plus with his literacy skill being that of a three year old he couldn't necessarily hack into the Beacon Hills police department to do a background check.

Stiles was watching his peers wander the halls filling it with gossip when Lydia appeared in front of him looking at him inquisitively. "Stiles is everything okay?"

Stiles vigorously nodded his head as he answered, "Yeah, yeah, I just need to ask you a question."

"Okay." She replied as she waited for him to continue.

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at Lydia trying to figure out how to word his question, "Your cousin, Gabriella, does she still live in Beacon Hills?"

He watched as Lydia looked at him concerned as she pursed her lips together and opened her locker as she began speaking, "Gabriella…I haven't spoken to her in years…my mom told me she was sent to live with one of my dad's cousins a few states away."

"So you never heard from her in the past eight years?" Stiles asked his brows furrowed, as this information didn't help him in anyway plus it conflicted with how Gabriella told him she was still in Beacon Hills.

Lydia closed her locker door as she peered back up at him her eyes emitting confusion, "Why are you asking about my cousin?"

Stiles shook his head, "It doesn't matter. Forget I asked." He told her as he began walking away. He could faintly hear Lydia call after him, but he ignored her as he made way to his first class. He knew in the past Lydia had the exterior of being cold and heartless, but he didn't think that would extend to her cousin and not question why she hadn't heard from her in eight years.

Maybe he was analyzing the situation to hard, but he needed to know – understand – why he was seeing Gabriella in his dreams.

Stiles walked down the school hallway. Kids were in their cliques huddled together in laughter. It amazed Stiles after everything that has happened in this school with classmates being sacrificed and teachers missing or dead how life still went on as if the events didn't happen since they didn't impact them immediately. He still found it uncomfortable sitting in English class, some days he expected Jennifer to walk through the doors since her body was never found and who is too say she didn't find her way back to the Nemeton to suck some more juice out of it knowing his sacrifice jumpstarted it again. Although everyday a new substitute walked into the classroom and Jennifer's presence was seemingly forgotten, but to him she would always have an imprint on him. He still remembered the text she sent in class and his morbid mind he still had it and practically memorized,

_"The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky – seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."_

Before his ability to read started to go haywire, Stiles read the book in the search for some clarity on what was happening in his life and everything – everyone that surrounded him. In the book madness was a result of Imperialism. Stiles quickly concluded that the madness him, Scott, the Pack, and Beacon Hills experienced was from the Alpha Pack, most importantly, it's leader Deucalion. If he didn't insist that a prerequisite for joining the pack was to maul all its members including its emissaries Jennifer wouldn't have gone mad in her quest for vengeance. Then the book had a theme of the irrationality of evil – moral confusion. Really, between the Alpha Pack and Jennifer who really was the lesser of the two evils. In hindsight, Jennifer wanted to get rid of the Alpha Pack of course her sacrificing innocent people wasn't helping her cause especially since she tried to kill his dad, but she wanted them gone. For the Alpha Pack there was no redeeming quality. They were killers plain and simple. They killed Erica and Boyd in cold blood and they wanted to turn his best friend into a killer. Lastly, the Congo River was a key location in the novella and in the now, in Beacon Hills, they have the Nemeton. It was key player in the supernatural and it represented that Beacon Hills was indeed a Beacon. Then that Nemeton gave him and his friends that heart immersed in darkness.

Stiles went into his classroom and began taking out his school supplies for class. Stiles was tapping his pencil against the desk when he realized the room wasn't being filled with oblivious students or a teacher wasn't even preparing for the current lecture that half the class wouldn't even be listening too.

Stiles looked around the room curiously and the sound of him tapping his pencil echoed louder and louder in his eardrums and it emulated the pounding of his heart. He looked at the clock in the room above the chalkboard and realized class was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago.

That familiar panic seized his chest as he realized the classroom held the science classes not English – his first class. Stiles stumbled up from his chair grabbing his books and materials when he turned to go to leave the room and into the hallway but stop and stood still in the doorframe when he saw the Nemeton resting in the middle of the deserted hallway. The lights were dim and shredded decorations covered the lockers while confetti cloaked the floor. His mind went back to that night on the Winter Formal; he half expected Jackson to emerge looking troubled from his need of power that caused him to spill the truth about Scott to the Argents.

Instead, his mouth called out another name as if she was there that night. The roles reversed like Lydia was looking for Jackson, he was looking for Gabriella.

"Gabriella?" Stiles called out in the hall, but he the only thing that answered his was silence and the sound of his own breathing. He went to turn to leave his position in the hallway, but met a chalkboard with Lydia's artistic representation of the Nemeton filling its space when he turned around to go back into the classroom.

He backed away only to fall upon the bark of the Nemeton that was in the hallway now in the classroom. His breathing paced harder and faster as if he just got done running the trail for track practice as the dimensions of his world were rapidly changing and defying logic. He turned around trying to gather his wits when a thick vine shot out of the stump causing him to shoot back up and to feel a hand on his shoulder and he met Scott's concerned gaze on him no doubt listening to his rapidly beating heart.

"You okay?"

Stiles looked wide-eyed around the room that was quickly filling with students unaware to his rapid beating heart and clammy skin. They were unmindful to the supernatural events that plagued Beacon Hills or the pack of supernatural creatures that walked the hallways. They weren't aware of any of that or even the recent murders and their true cause – the motives behind them.

They weren't even aware of the ramifications he, Allison, and Scott were even going to bring just like him.

He wished he could have had that ignorant bliss.

Stiles eyes glazed from the remnants of his dream – delusion - turned away from Scott and nodded his head. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Stiles knew it was pointless to lie to Scott because he was already listening to his heartbeat doing his personal polygraph. Just at that moment, he was fine because he could distinguish that he was alert and was fine with that but he knew his heartbeat was erratic from all the other things that plagued his mind from Gabriella and his newfound appreciation of coffee – French vanilla coffee to be exact. With his ADD, he never needed the extra added caffeine to give him an energy boost.

Stiles pursed his lips together and gave his best friend a firm nod, "I'm good."

* * *

Gabriella knew she was dirty and grimy and probably smelled questionable. She was lucky she had no one to impress, as her hair was matted to her head and greasy. Even though she was content in sitting in the plush and comfortable leather couch she felt bad for her lack of personal hygiene at least the couch was leather and easy to clean.

Although, her newly appointed therapist, Ms. Morrell didn't seem to be fazed by her odor she believed Ms. Morrell wasn't deterred by anything with her perfectly pin straight hair. Ms. Morrell seemed to be at peace fixing people's minds and advising them although her degree in behavioral psychology seemed to attest to this fact also.

Gabriella wouldn't say she disliked Morrell, but she didn't like her either. It was more of indifference.

She sometimes believed Morrell had her best interest at heart, but recently she felt like a puppet or she was Will Graham to Hannibal Lector – an extreme comparison – but there was something questionable happening outside of Eichen House in the real world of Beacon Hills that was affecting her here. Plus, Morrell didn't seem she was curious as to what was going to happen although Gabriella felt she was in some sort of mind game. Morrell was preparing for a battle of something.

Yes, she was self-aware of who and what she was. It didn't take too long for her to figure out after the numerous tests and prodding and all the accidents she predicted through the years. In addition, Ms. Morrell seemed to want her to be aware too as she had no problem in divulging her in the mythology surrounding all of them.

Gabriella was well aware of the hidden floor in Eichen House where most of the screams came from.

"It is concerning how much you are spending time in the closed unit for behavioral issues. They are becoming more frequent and uninhibited."

"I've noticed," Gabriella quipped.

"You're not screaming out of fear not or out of warning most of the time. Night terrors and sleep paralysis since late September and we have yet to discuss these new symptoms or the fact you are clearly avoiding water." Morrell stated without the aid of notes and from memory.

"It's because everyone is screaming. I can't turn it off."

"You used to be in control of your powers these setbacks could hinder you in being released when you turn 18."

"That is practically two years away." The only reason Gabriella was still in Eichen House was that she had no one to sign her out. Her stay here was being paid for by the State. She knew a little screaming here and there wasn't going to have her committed for her whole life.

"But for you to be released on your own they are going to review everything."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and she was honestly exasperated and tired. Plus the plant on Morrell's desk was making her think of the appearance of that tree stump in Stiles' dream. She could taste the blood that filled her mouth filling her lung that caused her to start choking for life. She was sure she actually bit her tongue. She was not even going to psychoanalyze the meaning behind her injuring her tongue of all things in a dream.

All she did know since the dreams started she woke up terrified of the dark and shadows. She knew she should probably mention to Morrell how she was practically invading another person's dream. She didn't know why she was avoiding all topics of dreams because it wasn't like she was the one suffering from the dreams and she fleeted with the possibility that maybe dream walking was a side effect from being a Banshee.

Gabriella flicked her gaze up to Ms. Morrell who was watching her steadily. Of course, Morrell's face was neutral of any expression baring no hint of her emotions or thoughts. Gabriella leaned back in the couch, "I'll blame hormones for the behavior."

She watched as Morrell's lips twitched upward for a millisecond as she too leaned back and flicked her gaze between the office plant on her desk and to her, "You seem to be transfixed on my Bonsai plant."

"It's a nice plant I wish we were allowed to have plants in our rooms."

"Do you have a favorite type of tree, if I may ask?"

"I say it would be a cross between a Willow and Oak. You know Eichen is an Oak."

"Yes, I did know that."

"I like the meaning behind the oak: strength, stability, and nobility."

"Do you wish to attain these qualities?"

"I want someone else too," Gabriella replied with no hesitation.

"Who?"

She wanted Stiles to achieve those attributes. She wanted his mind and body to have the strength and stability to overcome these dreams that were plagued with a frightening force, and she hoped whatever these nightmares were doing weren't breaking his nobility.

"There was a tree stump in my dream last night." Gabriella revealed to her deflecting from her question.

"Go on." Morrell egged on piqued with interest.

"My dreams start with a labyrinth or riddles and I end up in a room I call Purgatory. It is all white with just a mirror and a sink. Finally last night the setting of that room changed and this tree stump emerged and I tried to run away but the vines brought me down and I swore I bit my own tongue in the dream, but the vines dragged me away and I woke up before I could see where they were taking me."

"What was so terrifying about the stump that made you run?"

"It wasn't necessarily the presence of the stump that was terrifying it was what came from that stump, but the thing is I never dreamt of this tree before or probably ever saw it."

"You know in Celtic myths druids picked a large, older tree in a grove to represent the center of the world. Some believed that cutting or harming the "world tree" would bring severe problems like fires, plagues, strife, "death and destruction of all kinds" to surrounding settlements."

"You're talking about a Nemeton, but what does that have to do with my dream?"

"What do you predict?"

Gabriella furrowed her brows at the question with the obvious answer, "Death."

"Death brings things like destruction, strife, and pain. Although it would help if you discussed these dreams more with me. I can't help you if you don't tell me the whole story."

Gabriella's eyes snapped up to Morrell as that phrase had been echoing in the facility.

Morrell seeing she wasn't going to be discussing the full nature of her dreams, "Tell me how do you feel?"

"Fatigued," Gabriella stated plainly picking at the fabric of her long sleeve shirt.

"You don't feel any pressure in your chest?"

"What like I can't breathe or something heavy is weighing down on it?" Gabriella asked for clarification arching her eyebrow while Morrell nodded her head. Gabriella leaned forward in her chair, "I always have that feeling before I scream."

"Your father's –"

"Oh don't," Gabriella interrupted standing up from the chair shaking her head, "I'm not talking about this."

"You can't avoid it forever."

"I'm not avoiding it. I just don't understand why everyone wants to dissect the accident. I told everyone what happened. No one believed me and my grandmother locked me up at her lake house before she turned crazy and became my roommate here. So what could my dad's death have to do with anything that is happening now?"

"You mentioned your dreams begin with riddles. You mentioned in the past you detest riddles."

"Yeah because towards the end all my dad did all day was mutter riddles. It became the topic of conversations."

"And we speculated that your dad wasn't him _self_  when he passed."

"Are we done?"

The room engulfed in silence, Morrell watched Gabriella walk to the door waiting to be dismissed from the room. Morrell got up from her desk and began walking towards Gabriella, "I'm ordering the orderlies to escort you to the shower room and get cleaned up for the day avoiding water isn't going to help you."

Gabriella nodded her head and accepted Morrell's orders as her dismissal but Morrell placed a hand on her shoulder stopping, "I need to ask you one more question before you go. Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski do those names sound familiar to you?"

Gabriella snapped her head up from looking at the doorknob to peer at Morrell. "Stilinski was the name of the Sheriff that found me and McCall was the name of the nurse who took care of me in the hospital. I believe I went to grade school with their sons."

Morrell didn't say anything but let Gabriella leave the room.

...

"Morrell allowed you 30 minutes, Martin." Nurse Cross stated as she shut the door to one of the private shower stalls.

Gabriella watched Cross turn around to give her a semblance of privacy. Gabriella usually didn't need supervision to shower she had autonomy but since being in the closed unit more frequently her independence for the most part got restricted.

Gabriella made quick work in removing her grimy clothes and when removing her sweatpants she was all more aware of the long pink raised flesh on her thigh one of the few visible remainders of the car crash that killed her father.

Gabriella lightly traced the scar with her fingertips sometimes she still felt the burning from the puncture wound and how her pants became sticky from her blood. She barely remembered the pain of it.

She turned the shower knob on to the highest temperature her body could withstand. She tested the water for any voices with her fingertips but it was eerily quiet. Gabriella took the plunge under the water the water enflamed her skin and caused the walls to sweat.

Gabriella was actually enjoying this shower as it was quiet and was massaging her tense muscles from her body being on high alert from the nightmares and just by living in Eichen House in general. She briefly wondered if Stiles felt like this or he ever got a moment were the worry and terror would wash away for a little bit, plus it was nice to see clear liquid wash away in a drain and not a crimson color.

She was lathering her skin with the soap when the soap slipped out of her hands to the floor. She mindlessly bent down to pick up the soap that fell by her feet when terror seized her bones when she saw it was a piece of chalk.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The quote belongs to Joseph Conrad on the last page of "Heart Of Darkness"


	3. Assessment

Stiles was munching on some Reese's cereal at his dining room table. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he actually had breakfast – let alone cereal. It seemed the supernatural world also took over his eating habits. His diet usually consisted of cafeteria food and whatever snack that was in the radius of his hands to be able to grab quickly on the go or he went through a drive thru which was seriously burning a hole in his wallet. He was lucky he had a good metabolism and was on the lacrosse team as curly fries was not beneficial to his figure, but then again it wasn't like any girls were dying to rip off his shirt any time soon. It also didn't help he was constantly around werewolves who just seemed to possess six-packs and toned arms and they didn't seem to own shirts or they simply didn't believe in doing laundry.

He also couldn't recall the last time he sat at his dining room table to actually eat as it usually was scattered with his dad's paperwork of ongoing investigations or his dad was scrunching his eyebrows together trying to figure out what bill needed to be paid first. Stiles and his dad usually ate in the kitchen at the counter or at his dad's office or police issued cruiser.

Moreover, he was used to eating and walking at the same time while either explaining his current hypothesis on what was plaguing Beacon Hills or coming up with a plan.

That thought made him pause mid-bite, as his hand held the spoon in the air milk spilled over the edges and dripped into the bowl causing them to splash ricocheting onto his shirt.

Suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore.

That is when he became aware of the smell permeating in the room from the table. Stiles leaned down and smelt the table.

 _Was that lemon?_  He thought. Stiles observed the table and it actually looked polished. Stiles eyed the dining room more and noticed everything looked clean. It wasn't as if he and his dad lived in a pigsty, but it was too clean. The table showed his reflection. The windows were even sparkling and he thought the sun was going to blind him.

Stiles grabbed his now soggy cereal and went into the kitchen where his dad was making coffee and that was when he noticed all the food – healthy food - on the counter. He must have been too tired to even register this although he should have caught it as he was eating Reese cereal. Stiles mumbled a quick good morning to his dad before he checked all the cabinets and fridge stocked with healthy food that he used to have to con his dad into eating. He even noticed his dad bought low-fat creamer.

"You okay, son?"

Stiles pursed his lips together trying to articulate some type of response because he was honestly stumped at the moment over some  _fresh_  groceries along with a remarkably pristine house. "Did you go grocery shopping?"

"Yeah I went last night after I finished my shift." His dad answered while pouring himself a cup of Joe.

Stiles hummed in response as he cleaned out his bowl of cereal in the sink, he watched the milk go down the drain the milk reminding him of that white room, and he thought he saw mistletoe floating in the remnants.

"I thought you liked Reese's?" His dad questioned as he watched Stiles clean out his bowl.

Stiles blinked his eyes and turned to his dad giving him a half smile. He looked back down into the sink and realized the mistletoe was a soggy crumb that escaped the confines of the bowl, "I do," Stiles said making quick work of throwing the cereal away, "but I let it get too soggy," Stiles said placing his bowl in the dishwasher.

"Well I bought eggs, turkey bacon, wheat bagels, the kitchen is fully stocked. Also I am going to start leaning back on taking night shifts so we can spend more mornings together instead of our usual hi and bye conversations."

Now that rang alarms in his head and he knew exactly what was happening. His dad was becoming worried for him now that his night terrors were becoming more prominent in the night. His dad knew all about what they did to save him, Melissa and Chris, but the last thing he needed was his dad hovering over him.

"Dad…" Stiles spoke up looking at his father who was critically eying him. "I'm fine you don't need to switch your schedule and buy all this heathy food wishing it will help my…uh… sleep pattern."

The Sheriff stepped closer to his son a hand cradling the back of his head, "Son, as your father it is my job to worry about you…that sacrifice…it's effects are worrisome." Stiles nodded his head at his father. Stiles saw fear briefly flash through his father's eyes. They were the only ones they had since his mother passed. His maternal grandparents passed way before he was born and his paternal ones passed away shortly before his mom got sick. They had no other family.

He can admit that since his dad fully opened his eyes to the supernatural world it made them closer in the past two weeks as things seemed to settle down for the most part and his dad understood the odd and peculiar cases that had been plaguing their town.

"But besides the healthy food isn't just for you," The Sheriff opened the fridge and took an apple out to eat and to emphasize his point. Stiles gave his dad a smile as he watched him leave the kitchen to head to the station.

...

Stiles was feeling nostalgic as he was playing against Scott in a video game in his living room. It felt how it was before Scott was bitten and their teenage years and experiences wasn't desecrated by all the supernatural drama that somehow turned to be his pack's responsibility. It was before he decided to grow out his hair and played a part in the stereotypical unrequited love of high school.

It felt like when it was just him and Scott who rode the bench on the lacrosse team.

When they had nothing – were nothing.

But no his friend was a True Alpha, whose ex-girlfriend was a hunter, Lydia was a banshee, and he was still a pale and sarcastic human boy,  _still_ , just with longer hair.

"You okay?"

Stiles turned to his best friend who looked at him with concern and nodded his head, "I just miss this." He told his friend truthfully. "I feel our lives have been tainted by the supernatural."

Scott put down his controller to the Xbox and turned to look at his best friend, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Stiles picked at the fabric of his couch. He had so much to say to his friend, but he didn't know how to say it. How to express he wasn't alright. How none of them were alright with what has happened to them. He wondered what happened after this – after high school. They would be separated by distance if they all left for college so what happens to the pack. They would be separated and still have this darkness tainting their heart.

Stiles looked at his friend, werewolf to man, "Do we honestly know what we did? I mean my dad is polishing the furniture and we have a darkness around our heart, Scott, who knows how it will change us into something…we didn't even think we were even capable of."

Stiles knew his pulse was increasing as his leg bounced up and down. It wasn't even the conversation that was making him anxious it was what he was going to dream about tonight. After the stump appearing in his dream, Gabriella hadn't made an appearance in his nightmare. However, the Nemeton had been more present than ever being the centerpiece of all the settings his mind conjured.

In addition, as far as he was concerned he was the only one having nightmares or he should say sleep paralysis. Scott's effect from the Nemeton was he didn't have his shifting abilities under control and Allison was more similar to him with having another fixture being prominent in her dreams, the fixture though being her dead aunt, but she knew when she woke up from her nightmares. When Stiles really contemplated all their symptoms, they all emphasized how they were scared to become something they feared. Although his was questionable although when he first encountered Purgatory that fear of turning into a killer – something sinister – was highlighted to brightly.

"Since the sacrifice there are times when I can feel it that darkness, but then I look for my friends. I look for you and I know I am going to be alright. We will get through this together. Whatever you are afraid of that may happen…as long as I am here nothing bad is going to happen. We're brothers, Stiles…we will get through this."

Stiles gave his friend a stiff smile and nodded his head and they turned back to the video game and decided to ignore the pressure submerging his heart.

* * *

Gabriella was lying on her back making shapes and animals with her hands with the moonlight shining through the window. She didn't know why she was doing this particular action as it reminded it of her father when she was little and they would make various animals. The only reason she was doing it now was that her roommate Meredith liked it and she considered it a celebration that she didn't have to spend another night in the closed unit.

This was the only form of entertainment they had in their room since they weren't allowed a TV or even a freaking radio. Sometimes Gabriella wondered how she would survive out in the real world with all the technological advances that have been made since her stay. With her curiosity, some of the orderlies would show her their new phones and with it, how they could play games, take photos and videos, play music, and even read books. She was missing out on a lot.

In their cell with the steel enforced door, they had various paintings decorating their walls and Gabriella had a few books stashed on a shelf that did not belong to the library she found in the lost and found. Gabriella thought no matter how far advance the world got with reading books, nothing could beat having the physical copy and to feel the pages lick her fingertips.

Besides the lump of coal that was an excuse for a bed, the only other furniture that decorated the room was the lone desk placed under the window for things like homework she guessed. The desk was barely used between the two of them although it did house all their schoolwork or miscellaneous items Meredith procured from dandelions, salt and pepper packets, or even a Barbie doll heads – surprisingly Meredith had a lot of those.

Before Meredith, Gabriella really didn't care about the appearance of her room because sometimes they would move you to a different section or you would get a roommate that didn't appreciate the décor. One time she found an old roommate eating her artwork. When she was roomed with a pyromaniac her artwork was not the only thing that got threaten to be scorched. Although for Meredith, she decided to spice it up some since Meredith had no one besides her really.

She and Meredith have been roommates for the past three years. Gabriella felt sad for her roommate because it was because of her grandmother that snapped Meredith's sanity in half. She remembered that day very clearly in her grandmother's lake house in that white room where Meredith couldn't take her grandmother's curiosity of what made them tick when Meredith screamed it caused blood to come from hers, Lorraine's, and Meredith's ears. She was young at the time barely ten and still feeling the emotional effects from her dad's death but she remembered how her grandmother made sure to keep her quiet. Before than the voices only warned her about people she knew, but Meredith broke down the door to what kept most of the voices away.

She didn't see Meredith again until three years ago when she was assigned her roommate and Meredith was still fragile and frightened and followed her around like a puppy and for a while Meredith couldn't stop mumbling incoherent thoughts about a fire and a man being angry. Meredith still could not control her gift as well as she could although Gabriella was a weird variation of Banshee.

"I like the Rabbit," Meredith said quietly from her perch on her bed. Her voice was light, soft, and very childlike.

Gabriella assumed it was a quiet night all around as Meredith wasn't covering her ears and wasn't twitching around shushing her to be quiet or begging for her to listen to the voices to take over for her.

Gabriella turned her head slightly and smiled at Meredith, "I know I like it too."

"I wish…we could have pets…I would like a white rabbit." Meredith said as she used her own hand to stimulate her shadowing as if she was petting the rabbit.

Gabriella couldn't help the snort that escaped from her throat, "Oh god Meredith that is so cliché. Are you going to name it Fluffy or Mr. Snow, too?"

"Maybe," Meredith replied and they busted into a little fits of giggles.

Sometimes Gabriella thought it was somewhat morbid to even laugh in this place knowing the demented history with its patients, but it was nice to laugh once in a while. It was nice to get Meredith to smile when they were both plagued with their abilities of foretelling death. To Gabriella Meredith was her family – her only family – as she was to Meredith.

"Gabriella?"

"Yeah?"

"What's your favorite animal to make?" Meredith asked in her usual hesitant voice as if she was scared to ask the question in fear of upsetting her. Gabriella thinks this resulted from Meredith's treatment from workers here in Eichen and where she was placed before.

"Oh that's easy. I like the goat and the chicken," Gabriella said making the animals with her hands. "And they are my favorite because one day I am going to have my own house with a little land and have me a nice little farm to grew my vegetables and have myself a chicken coop."

That had been Gabriella's dream since she had an obsession with Pocahontas and sang "Colors of the Wind" to her hearts content.

She knew that as soon as she was legal and got out of here she was going to find that piece of land – peace – far away from Eichen House.

She wanted a ranch style house for the most part sometimes she pondered if she wanted a two-story house because she really wanted the wraparound porch. She was going to have a chicken coop, with goats, pigs, and a nice large vegetable farm with every plant to grow she could think of. It wasn't going to be a serious farm for profit more like a hobby farm; well she wanted it to be. She wanted to be an English or Art schoolteacher, but she didn't think anyone would hire her with her background of being a patient. Gabriella hadn't even really started to think about college. She knew if she did end up here for most of her life she could take the offered college classes online, but she wanted the true experience of what she thought college was.

Nevertheless, there were some days where she could smell her vegetables growing the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, corn, etc. Of course, she would try to grow some fruit also. She could feel the dirt being manipulated beneath her fingertips. The sun steadily beating down on her fair skin causing it to become rosy that would cause a sheen of sweat to form on her upper lip as she dug in the ground. She would have a tan straw hat on with the cliché jean overalls – shorts overalls – with a sports bra underneath. Gabriella wants to absorb all the sun she could without it being a peepshow.

She sometimes debated if she would be the only hands in the dirt or if there would be masculine hands next to her gathering more herbs or minuscule hands trying their best to mimic her.

Gabriella debated if she wanted that – a family. She did not know if she wanted to become  _one_  with someone to have that moment of sitting on the porch overlooking the garden drinking lemonade and watch in glee their children running around. She did not know if she believed in the idea or concept of love or soulmate.

She didn't really have the best family example and she didn't know if she wanted to pass this gene down into future generations.

In addition, where was she going to find a person who would believe that she could predict death and would she was locked up in a nuthouse for her teen years not because of  _that_?

She sometimes thought it was detrimental to her mental state to have this dream – this hope – but she clung to it like a baby clung to a mother's arms or heartbeat. She knew hope was a lethal emotion.

She just wanted to taste what it felt like to have the sun to kiss her skin freely. She wanted to really enjoy the world and see what it had to offer. She knew the world wasn't unerringly evil. Just bad things sometimes happened to good people, but it made them stronger. It made you appreciate the little things. Like it made her appreciate this little act of seeing Meredith smile every time she made animals.

"Don't worry Meredith; I will have a rabbit for you on my land. You can be my ranch hand."

"I think…I like that." Meredith said smiling.

"And you can name your bunny whatever you want okay?" Gabriella watched as Meredith nodded her head smiling into her pillow. "Just think Meredith one day the screams will become quiet." Gabriella told her as she made a fox with her hands.


	4. Nightlock

Stiles eyes sprung open as the feeling of his cold soft pillow turned into a cold hard piece of metal. The chill of the metallic material ran down his spine and danced with the fine hairs on his body. He wasn't tangled with his navy cover to combat the cool air that tried to fight the perspiration that followed his nightmares – like the one he was in now.

He knew despite him leaving his window open he didn't sleepwalk his way out into a tiny locker. A tiny off white locker that filled the boy's locker room, he knew this was a dream, his mind was taunting him making him question the everyday settings if he was still dreaming or not.

All he knew was that his dreams were getting worse. How his body would become paralyzed and his mind needed time to catch up. How his sheets felt similar to the soft dirt that stained his fingertips when he was stuck in the Preserve in his mind while he ran from the unseen force. His mind was just a river streaming endless terrors of delusions wreaking his reality.

There wasn't a white room of Purgatory anymore.

Everything was encased in darkness and the light that was provided reflected that.

The light always highlighted the centerpiece of his nightmares – the Nemeton.

Every tree stump he saw reminded him of the sacred oak that gained power of sacrifices of the innocent. How that lump of wood essentially was a key player in his life and basically controlled the balance of the supernatural world. It drew the creatures to Beacon Hills for good or evil.

Sometimes he wondered why his mind was dreaming certain things or why he was locked in a locker.

It wasn't the first time he found himself escaping a dream to only open his eyes to find himself in another dream inside the locker. He would find himself screaming for help or banging against the door to be let out for somebody to help him, but he knew it was pointless he was inside his own head, but that terror he felt enclosing in on him didn't stop him from screaming or pounding against the weak metal door. The tears felt so palpable streaming down his cheeks as the salty liquid dripped into his mouth soaking his chapped lips clear watery snot speckled his flaring nostrils that complimented his rosy blotchy cheeks.

He wanted out and to be awake.

He found it becoming increasingly harder to wake himself up now not that it wasn't easy before, but now it was him screaming himself to wake up because the dreams seemed to never end until he was absolutely terrified and had to question his reality completely to where even his reassurances of counting his own fingers didn't suffice anymore.

It also didn't help that since Gabriella mentioned her full name he didn't see her anymore. The house didn't appear in his dreams. She seemingly evaporated from his conscious. It was as if she was seemingly from his imagination, but he knew she was real. She was a corporeal being not just another trick or illusion his mind conjured up.

Stiles didn't know how long he had been in that locker pounding causing his skin to break and blood to smear against the metal door to get it open when he heard the slamming of various locker doors near him against the frame of the structure holding the lockers together and the shouting of his name getting louder.

"Stiles! Stiles!" He heard a feminine voice along with a couple more locker doors slam closed.

"Gabi! Gabi!" Stiles shouted as he pounded against his cage.

He heard the padding of feet against the tile floor moving closer to him as he smacked the door harder signaling his location until Gabriella's bright blue eyes peaked through the slits. She immediately opened the locker door. She didn't give him any time to gather his surroundings as she dragged him along into his mind's representation of Coach's office locking the door bringing him down below the window that looked out into the locker room. He went to ask what was wrong but she immediately covered his mouth while she straddled his lap as she peeked outside the window. That was when he realized the terror in her eyes and how she looked unraveled.

Her long brown hair was in disarray with leaves and twigs acting as barrettes. From the moonlight providing some light in the office he saw that her mute colored clothes were ripped. Dirt smeared her skin and stained her clothes and he thought there was blood mixed in as well. He felt a warm substance seeping through her long sleeve shirt unto him and his clammy, cold skin making them stick to each other.

She kept her hand on his mouth. With their close proximity, he could feel every intake of breath she took. He felt her breath fan across his hair the warmth hitting his scalp the feeling felt foreign against the coldness he felt. In fact, he felt his body being encased in Gabriella's natural body heat. He didn't know how long they were positioned like while she made sure whatever was after them didn't come near the door they were leaning against never mind the fact whatever being was with them could enter through the door from the classroom side. Her body relaxed slightly as he felt her heart's beating slowly to a slow soothing tempo mirroring the words she spoke to him. "I don't think you realize how happy I am to see you." She whispered and gave him a smile despite the situation.

If they weren't in a nightmare he would have maybe blushed and turned her innocent words into an innuendo considering her position on his lap, but all he could focus on was the comforting beating of her heart he felt vibrating onto his chest keeping him calm in this night terror. Despite all this he didn't miss why they were hiding or the low decibel of her voice, "Why are you whispering?"

That was when he saw the terror flash through her eyes again, "There…is something…here…with…us. I know it's your dream, but there is something else."

Stiles immediately was brought back to when Peter trapped him, Scott, Lydia, Allison, and Jackson into the school to get Scott to get rid of his pack. How him and Scott hid in these very lockers thinking they had a chance. He still remembered that adrenaline of fear from that night when he and Scott were trying to outrun a creature they had no chance against in the first place. Peter was just taunting him, mostly, as he seemed to have a plan for Scott. He also took notice of how this was the first time there was a mention of another entity being in his nightmare besides the Nemeton.

"Are you sure it is a person?"

Gabriella removed herself off Stiles lap and sat next to him. He saw she took notice of her bleeding and ripped a piece of her shirt to stop the bleeding on her arm, "I don't know. I woke up in the woods with spotlights on me and I heard shuffling and twigs breaking so I started running…than those vines started to grab me, but I made it to a game field and this school, and I started seeing shadows and lockers started slamming and I ran into here. Stiles your dreams…"

Gabriella didn't get to finish as the sound of a locker slamming echoed in the room causing them both to jump in fright. "Okay we need to get out of here," Stiles whispered as they backed away from the door towards Coach's desk. From the corner of his eye he could see blood smears of her fingertips edged along the desk free of paperwork or any items in particular.

"Where are we going to go?" Gabriella asked diverting his attention from the desk to her wide sapphire eyes imploring him for an answer – direction.

Stiles mulled his brain for a more secure space, but his mind was drawing a blank and only the chemistry room was popping in his brain like a neon sign, "The chemistry room." He felt this was an exact remake of his night of terror with Peter.

"For what? To make a Molotov cocktail… how about an exit," Gabriella whispered harshly.

"You know how to make one of those?" Stiles asked curiously wondering what the Martin family considers a light read.

"Stiles!"

"Okay look it's my mind – this is a nightmare – it's not going to have the doors open for us."

Gabriella opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of multiple lockers shutting took her voice and it sprung both of them into action as Stiles took Gabriella's hand and they made a mash dash out of Coach's office into his classroom out into the hallway.

He could briefly hear more lockers shutting the movement of desks and chairs being thrown as they ran to the second story of the building into one of the chemistry rooms. They both pushed the teacher's desk in front of the door after locking it. They both knew it wasn't going to make a difference of keeping whatever it was out there any moment his mind could switch the dimension or plane of this room – this fantasy.

"We shouldn't be fully conscious in a dream like this." Gabriella spoke up out of breath as she backed away from the door. Her shirt was beginning to turn wet from the wounds bleeding from the strain of running through the building. Gabriella didn't seem fazed as the blood was becoming her second skin. Stiles glanced down at his hands that were crimson, flashbacks of when he saw himself coated in blood in that white room appeared in his mind. He rubbed his hands together as if the blood would wash off. He closed his hands in a fist to disguise their trembling.

"I know, but coming back from death should have some side effects, right?" Stiles said turning his gaze from his hands to Gabriella then back to the door. He stepped away to face Gabriella.

He was blindsided when she engulfed him into a hug before she quickly back away apologizing before he even had a chance to reciprocate the hug, "I'm sorry. I am just so scared and this feels so real."

"It's…uh…fine." He said trying to wipe the wave of awkwardness that splashed them. Although he wasn't sure how you properly navigate socially through a situation like this where you are stuck in a dream and coated in blood. He felt her watching him. Stiles was told he was an easy guy to read so he knew she was easily reading the anxiety coming off him in waves. How his body was tensed from his nightly terrors. "So I asked Lydia about you."

She gave him a laugh one of pure amusement and out of his expected behavior, "I suspected you didn't get much as I haven't seen her in years."

"You would be correct, but I was thinking if I could see you in reality it could help figure out this situation."

Stiles watched as Gabriella shook her and turned to look away from and she walked to look out the window. It baffled him how this whole scene was being played out in a dream. That none of this was technically real. Then again, technically werewolves were not supposed to be real.

He heard her sniffle; he wasn't going to criticize her for crying because honestly he expected it a while ago. She wiped her eyes before she looked back at him. If they weren't in a nightmare and he wasn't an awkward boy he might have told her she looked beautiful as her eyes glistened and were shining bright from the artificial moonlight despite the dirt coating her face being smudged along with blood. "Stiles, I don't want you to find me."

Stiles blinked and was utterly confused by her statement and the complete desperation of her voice, "Why?"

"Because I am embarrassed and who knows what could happen if we did meet what scales would be tipped." She said her ocean eyes leaking salt water. Her sudden outburst of this emotion stirred confusion and something else in him. As if her crying wasn't because of what was happening now, but was yet to come. As if he wasn't only going to be causing her to cry.

"Gabriella we met for a reason. You are in my dreams for a reason. We can't ignore it." His words seem to fall onto deaf ears or they were weightless as a feather from the look she gave him. Stiles knew it wouldn't be too hard to have his dad look into her, but he didn't feel right betraying her trust of him she seemed to have.

As much as they could try to deny it or leave it unspoken from him performing that sacrifice it bonded them somehow. Their lives were intertwined and this happened for a reason – some may even consider it fate.

"So how long do you think we will be stuck in here?" Gabriella asked as she took a seat in a chair changing their topic of conversation. He recognized this as deflection, a tactic he used often, and he didn't like the taste of it.

"I don't know. I wish I could just wake up, though."

"What do you mean by that?"

"When I use to wake up I would feel like I was emerging from water gasping for air, but now I am screaming when I wake up. I have to scream myself awake."

"Sleep paralysis?" She inquired. He nodded his head. "They're getting worse aren't they?"

Stiles gave her a grim smile as he nodded his head again, "Yeah." Stiles gripped the edge of the lab table trying to ignore the feeling of his extra finger coated in her blood. "You know I read if you're dreaming and you died in dreams it would wake you up."

"So what you want to commit suicide… drink a bottle of acid? I feel a hypnic jerk is not going to help us at this point." Stiles raised his eyebrows impressed as she was doing her research about sleep disorders.

"Every time we let whatever grab us, we wake up. So why not let whatever is in this school in, it seems to kill us effectively waking us up"

"Yeah by screaming, but no," Gabriella stated firmly, "we can't do that at least voluntarily."

"Why not?" Stiles asked wondering what made his plan defective.

"You can't let them in!" Gabriella shouted at him.

"Let who in?" He asked confused in her sudden change of demeanor and the scared look that wore her face.

It all happened simultaneously as he asked that question and the windows to the classroom shattered coating them in glass causing them to drop to the floor as each window and glass substance broke as the classroom began to shake as if they were experiencing an earthquake.

He watched as she crawled to his side of the table shards of glass sticking in her skin as she grabbed his face he felt her hands make bloody imprints on his cheeks her eyes were glazed as if she was in a trance, "You're going to wake up now Stiles, just remember you can't let him in."

He didn't get a chance to protest or even ask a question before his eardrums erupted from the high pitch volume of the scream he was becoming familiar to from another Martin, another banshee, and he found himself jumping up from his bed gasping for oxygen.

His skin was slick with sweat and it caused his hair to become matted down to his forehead his heart pounded against his chest.

He removed the covers that were sticking like Gabriella's blood that coated him in his dream to his skin as he gingerly got up from the bed walking over to his desk picking up the manila envelope hidden by a few pieces of scrap paper under his printer. He took a seat at his desk as he opened the folder that held two pieces of paper: the newspaper article detailing Gabriella's car accident and Gabriella's middle school picture.

He knew in the back of his mind her dad's accident seemed to be connected to whatever was connecting them that caused her to appear in her dreams. Her words of not wanting to be found echoed in his head and what did she mean about not letting  _him_  in.

* * *

Gabriella sprung up from her bed coughing as if she sprung up from a tub full of water. Her lungs felt deprived of oxygen and her nose burned from the loss. She could still feel the glass embedded into her skin from the windows exploding in the classroom and how it shook violently like an earthquake. She could feel the fatigue in her bones from running through those dark woods into that school to find Stiles.

Usually in his dreams she could distinguish she was still dreaming, but there in that dream she found it harder to distinguish if she was still dreaming or what was happening was real. Everything was becoming a blurred line.

When she hugged Stiles, it felt so real she could hear his heart rapidly beating against her ear. She felt her blood stream down her body seeping through her clothes. How it became sticky in his hands as he grasped her as they ran through the school's hallways.

Gabriella plopped her head back down to her pillow ignoring the sweat coating her skin and not being mindful of how loud she was breathing that it could wake Meredith. She thought it was good that she at least wasn't screaming until her throat was raw. Despite being a banshee when she was screaming from fear it could damage her throat slightly.

But she was right about Stiles dreams becoming worst because when she woke up in those woods his subconscious didn't want her there. The vines made quick work in trying to grab her and she wasn't really sure how she outran them to that sports field where the spotlights were practically scorching her skin, but at the same time his subconscious led her to that locker room. Usually she had to trek through her own demented dreams before she found herself onto Stiles terrain.

This time she woke up in his playing field.

This time she found herself straight into his dream.

"The screams…they're getting louder."

Gabriella jumped at the sound of Meredith's voice and she looked over to her friend who was probably having direct access to the noise, "Chaos is coming again."


	5. Cold Case

For some reason, Stiles was compelled to reach out and touch the Nemeton despite him never making this gesture before. Despite this setting of being in the ruined classroom, he had crossed before, now he could not fight the urge of the stump drawing him closer despite the terror running through his veins causing his shirt to stick to his skin for his hand to trembling as it shook from the cold adrenaline pumping his blood.

His hand was slowly reaching out to feel the grooves of the wood when the vines shot out of the bark wrapping around his hand.

Stiles shot up from his bed gasping for breath. His hands were scrunching the sheets beneath him and they were free of vines threatening to attack him. He slightly jumped when a hand enclosed over his clammy shoulder, "You okay, Stiles?" A feminine voice asked as it floated in his ears causing his heart to slow a bit trying to regulate itself back to normal.

Stiles looked over his shoulder to see Gabriella in his bed wearing one of his shirts her eyes glossed with sleep her hair in a messy bun with various tendrils falling out of its confines.

Stiles exhaled a nodded his head as he placed his own hand on top of the one she had on his shoulder, "Yeah, I was just dreaming. It was weird. It was like a dream within a dream." He explained and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he removed it.

"A nightmare?" Gabriella asked as she rubbed his back soothingly. The sensation felt peculiar, but comforting to him.

"Yeah," Stiles replied his voice mixed with defeat and exhaustion, but than a thought occurred to him at the oddity of a girl in his bed – of Gabriella in his bed. He turned around to look at Gabriella who was watching him intently and gave him a smile. "Wait a second, Gabriella. What are you doing here?" As he asked that question the door to his bedroom creaked open gaining his attention. He squinted as he observed his door and his confusion over Gabriella simply forgotten as he made a move to get out of bed, "Hang on."

"Stiles, where are you going?" Gabriella asked her voice no longer sleepy, but laced with worry and fear as her hand went back to his shoulder, but her grip was firm.

Stiles removed her hand and completely removed himself from the bed, "I'm just gonna close the door."

"Just go back to sleep." She insisted from her perch on his bed.

"No, no, I should close it." He said as he walked closer to his door. In the deep part of his mind, he knew that this must be a dream and that it was the first dream that took place in his bedroom.

"Don't worry about it." Gabriella protested.

"What if someone comes in?"

"Like who?" Gabriella asked and watched him walk closer to his door. "Just go back to sleep, Stiles." She insisted.

Stiles felt the perspiration forming on his forehead as he walked closer to the door fear made his voice tremble, "But what if they get in?"

"What if who gets in?" Gabriella whispered as her own voice held fear. "Stiles just leave it. Please. Stiles… Stiles come back to bed. Stiles. Please. Don't, Stiles. Don't! Don't go in there, please, don't. Please, Stiles, don't!"

Stiles ignored Gabriella's protests as she increasingly became distressed as he got closer to the door his body going to enter the darkness that had been plaguing him for a few weeks now. He enclosed a hand over the cold doorknob and widened the open space to walk in.

...

Gabriella sprung herself awake and felt arms on her as they lightly shoved her back to lay flat on her bed.

"Take it easy there, sweetheart." Nurse Cross said as a stethoscope was placed on her chest.

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked confused and the glare from a bright light caused her to blink her eyes rapidly to adjust to being awake.

"During rounds we noticed you seemed to be having another nightmare and Ms. Morrell advised us to be on watch when he experienced them and you started thrashing and talking in your sleep."

"Oh okay."

"Hey it's better than you screaming, but I don't understand why we need to monitor you for dreams it's not like they are entirely life threatening, but you seem fine." Cross said packing up her things preparing to leave the room. "An orderly will be back in ten minutes to escort you to breakfast."

Gabriella nodded her head as she watched Cross leave her room. Tonight was a weird dream, but she felt like it was an actual dream for her. She was semi-conscious but she felt she was being controlled by Stiles consciousness as she found herself waking up in his bed wearing his clothes.

Gabriella sprung herself out of bed and relished in the feeling of the cool tiles on her bare feet as she walked over to grab a new pair of socks. Gabriella slid on the pair of socks and she was in the middle of sitting on her bed waiting for the orderly when there was a smack against the window.

Gabriella chose to ignore it as it was common for birds to hit the window now and then, but it became hard to ignore when the smacking increased. She looked to the window to find it free of blood smears, but cracks in the glass. Gabriella rose up from her bed, stood on top of the desk, and looked out the window. Day was breaking.

She looked out the window that was free of blood if a bird did smack into it when she noticed a faint glowing. She leaned closer to the glass when the glowing came closer to the window and she was able to recognize its shape. It was a firefly.

She furrowed her brows together in confusion, as fireflies didn't glow in California. Gabriella backed away from the window slightly and trepidation filled her as she wasn't in her room anymore. She felt the ground being manipulated under her feet. The limestone to her room was replaced with dirt and vines.

She was in a dirty cellar.

She knew what she would see when she turned around. She could hear the vines moving through the dirt to get near her.

Gabriella closed her eyes and waited for the vines to wrap around her so she could wake up. That's when she heard the clattering of an object on the desk that caused her to open her eyes and look down at the object that was more terrifying than the vines – that piece of chalk.

Gabriella bent down to pick it up when vines sprouted from it wrapping around her around.

"Ahh! Ahh!" Gabriella sprung up from bed screaming kicking her cover off the bed and she could vaguely see Meredith cowering in a corner as orderlies rushed into the room trying to control her as she kept screaming choking on her tears and crying begging them to not let him in.

* * *

Stiles Stilinski made his way into his dad's office holding a bouquet of flowers for his mom trying to get his mind of the fact that one he was currently experiencing night terrors every night where he was not sure if he even was awake from like now. Two, not only was he experiencing weird side effects from the sacrifice, but Scott was having werewolf problems and Allison was seeing her dead aunt. Just another typical day in the life of Stiles, he sure did regret the impulsive decision of looking for Laura Hale's body sophomore year. Plus, the nightmare from last night with Gabriella actually being in his bed warning him still looped in his mind he still didn't know her connection to him although that thought of her being a banshee did cross his mind, but it still didn't explain why she only appeared in his hallucinations or dreams.

Stiles opened the door to his dad's office with the flowers barricading his view, "You know the last time we bought one of these to her grave it was stolen the same day. Hundred bucks down the drain."

Stiles alleged setting the grand bouquet of flowers on his dad's desk fixing them. He noticed his dad was not even sitting in his chair paying attention to him, but was crawled on the floor with case files strewn across it. "Hey… Dad?" The Sheriff turned his attention away from the unsolved case files to his son, Stiles gave his dad an apprehensive wave, "Hi, what are you doing down there?"

"Working," his dad told him putting a case file in a pile, "And hey, if somebody wants the flowers that badly, they can have them. It's the gesture."

Stiles was now too preoccupied with the boxes littering his dad's desk as he skimmed through the papers and folders, "Hey, Dad, what is all this?"

"I've been looking over some old cases from a more illuminated perspective, if you know what I mean." The Sheriff said referring to everything that happened in the past few weeks that now he knew that the true cause being of the supernatural nature.

Stiles continued to look through a file reading aloud reading the statement written down, "Strange sighting of bipedal lizard man sprinting across freeway."

"Kanima pile," The Sheriff informed redirecting Stiles to put the folder in the pile.

Stiles joined his dad on the ground kneeling, "Dad, you're not going back through all your old cases seeing if any of them had something to do with the supernatural, are you?" Stiles cannot help feel a little guilty that his dad was doing this. It is just another person's life that was being affected by all the supernatural problems that seem to plague him and his group of friends and everyone that came in the crossfire.

"I admit the recent opening of my eyes to the greater mysteries of the universe has got me reassessing," His dad said looking around at all the boxes that are currently reflecting his progress as a Sheriff. "There's at least 100 cases here where I look at the details and I can ask myself, 'If I knew then what I know now'."

Stiles nodded his head understanding where his dad was coming from, "Right, but are you sure you wanna go down that path?"

"Do I have a choice?" The Sheriff got up from his crouched position on the floor standing in front of his corkboard looking at the unsolved cases predominantly one though, "There's one case in particular that I can't get out of my head."

Stiles looked at the board; he realized he recognized the photo of the girl on the wall. Stiles wasn't sure if he was dreaming and he really hoped he wasn't. He stepped closer to the photo, "Gabriella Martin?" He already analyzed the picture of the eight-year-old blue-eyed girl in the photo with brown wavy hair smiling brightly despite missing a front tooth a thousand times hoping to find some hidden clue to be shouted from the picture. Since her abrupt appearances in his dreams, he tried to rack his brain for any memory of her, but they were futile. Back in middle school, they were not exactly friends per say, but he always remembered she was a people's person and was friendly to everyone. Her demeanor now that he witnessed was the complete opposite of that. She would always greet someone with a smile, as a kid he had a hard time believing she was even Lydia's cousin. He also remembered his dad and his mom whose sickness was just beginning taking him to the wake for her dad, and he remembered never seeing her eyes sparkle that shining blue like the sky.

He concluded that his mind remembered more of her than he realized at least when he wasn't dreaming.

The Sheriff sadly nodding his head, "Eight - nine years ago, I was elected Sheriff of County, my first official duty was to tell the Martin family that Gabriella and her dad Ashton was in a car crash. Gabriella survived despite being nearly in a comatose state from having a severe case of hypothermia and blood loss. Ashton Martin died in the accident we presumed, as best we could tell, there were track marks from a body being dragged from the wreck by coyotes."

Stiles interrupted his father as he looked over the case file he was handed and made a mental note to get a copy to put in his folder, "You mean dragged and eaten?"

"We didn't find the car until three days after the crash. They had driven off the road into a deep ravine. The car was covered in slash marks. Even Gabriella had a slash mark on her arm and deeper one on her leg. When Gabriella finally came too she kept mumbling incoherent things about yellow eyes."

Stiles eyebrows rose in shock, "So you're thinking bites and claw marks, also with Gabriella mentioning yellow eyes probably a werewolf attack?"

"Maybe."

"But coyotes, they scavenge, right? Maybe they were run off the road. So, couldn't they have just left the bites and the slashes?" Even he knows there is not a reason as to why Gabriella would see yellow eyes and he didn't understand what werewolf would leave a botched attack on a family leaving one alive.

"Absolutely," his dad acquiesced, "But guess what night the accident occurred on?"

"The night of a full moon," Stiles said looking down at the file something he already looked up.

"Yeah."

Stiles looked back at the board pointing to Gabriella's school picture, "So I take it Gabriella still is in Beacon Hills since you are going to need to talk to her since she is the eye witness."

The Sheriff leaned against his desk and took a big sigh, "Yeah she is. Apparently, after the crash, Gabriella went through a rough time emotionally and mentally. She has been at Eichen House for the past five years since a little before her grandmother's passing."

* * *

Gabriella currently on the floor with a paper cup hovering over her ear, felt a little bored and annoyed she knew it was mostly the residual effect from her nightmare. But now she was just bone tired and the orderlies told her one more screaming trip they would have no problems throwing her back into the closed unit. In addition, it didn't help that Meredith was starting to act agitated too.

It was not as if she did not love her roommate Meredith, but besides the constant urge to scream, she did not feel like dealing with Meredith's ramblings about god knows what. Even if they were the same type of species, they didn't operate on the same wavelength with messages. Not that she shouldn't judge because the same things happen to her, like Meredith, but Meredith's ramblings happened out of nowhere, where Gabriella needed to be around certain elements. Gabriella zoned out not paying attention if Meredith needed a response or anything until Brunski abruptly opened the door to their room with a sinister grin on his face.

Brunski eyed Gabriella, "Well Ms. Martin it looks like you have a visitor today."

Gabriella perked up at the mention of this one out of general curiosity and a pinch of anger if she thought who it was after she explicitly told him not to find her, but what did she expect they were sharing dreams and his dad was the Sheriff the last time she knew. But through that haze of oddity and irritation she felt something akin to a happy related emotion as this was a visitor something she hadn't had ever. When she first got here after her grandmother was placed here, she expected visits at least from her cousin Lydia, but that hope died out soon as she realized she was in a nut house and nobody wanted to be associated with a crazy cousin. She must have taken too long to get up because Brunski roughly grabbed her arms escorting her out of her room. If Gabriella were paying attention to Meredith, she would have heard her telling her, "They don't know the whole story."

As she was being transported to the visiting room, more annoyance bubbled in her. If there were one person, who Gabriella could say she really hated it would be Brunski. The discreet grabs and lingering stares she wished she could knee him right in the dick without being placed in solitary on his orders, which he would love and marvel in. She seriously questioned how someone in her opinion as psychotic as him was able to even work at a mental institution it was practically a buffet for him, and she believed the only reason he didn't do anything to her was because she was actually all there mentally for the most part. As normal healthy individuals, do not hear voices in their heads like her and Meredith.

But she was also convinced he was still scheming when it was the perfect time to do something drastic to her.

On her journey to her visitor, Gabriella realized she was not going to the normal public visitation rooms, but the private ones. She did not try to get hopeful that for the first time in five years she would finally have some family contact outside of her grandmother, but her slight optimism extinguished when Brunski pushed her in the room and she caught sight of the familiar tan Sheriff's jacket that was forever burned into her memory. The memory of him telling her they could not find her father's body and the look on his face when he did not believe anything she was saying about people with yellow eyes. If she was not paralyzed in fear from the unknown source of information the Sheriff was probably going to tell her she would have made an offhand comment about the treatment she received from Brunski. They could launch an investigation into that.

Gabriella did not even realize she had been standing still in front of the door until the Sheriff pulled out a chair from the table beckoning her to sit clearing his throat.

Gabriella timidly walked to the chair and sat down and the Sheriff did the same.

The Sheriff looked at the young girl whose eyes looked so cold and broken he can't help but feel a stab of guilt as he was part of the reason she was probably in this place for so long. "Gabriella, I don't know if you remember, but I'm-"

"Sheriff Stilinski," Gabriella interjected him off, "trust me, I remember, which is why I am on edge to why you are here." She said crossing her arms.

The Sheriff realized what she was implying, "Oh god, no, no, no one has died. Actually, I am reopening your accident." The Sheriff watched as Gabriella's eyes visibly widen as he mentioned this. "I am reopening cold cases, and I believe-"

Gabriella knew where the Sheriff was going with his statement, "My dad is dead Sheriff. There is no case to reopen. His body was dragged out of the car by coyotes, remember?" Gabriella said spitting back the statement he told her and her family members did.

The Sheriff understood where Gabriella may be coming from with the hostility sadly looking at the girl he wondered if this was just going to cause more trauma in her life, "I know, I know, but I have a feeling your dad's attacked may have something to do with the yellow eyes you saw. Is there anything you can tell me that you might remember?"

He remembered vividly finding her curled in a ball her lips a dangerous shade of purple mumbling things about yellow eyes coming out of the dark. If he had the knowledge he has now this girl probably wouldn't be stuck here missing out on a normal teenage life.

At this, Gabriella snapped her head up at the Sheriff and he noticed she looks visibly scared.

Gabriella closed her eyes and she wondered briefly if this somehow was connected to Stiles in some way. If his dad knew what was happening. Especially now since she was seeing yellow everywhere and she waited for corporal beings to form from the shadows. She did not want to relieve or remember anything from that night, "N-no, I-I don't. The next moment we were in the car, and I saw yellow. After that I woke up in the hospital-"

Gabriella stopped mid-sentence as if something caught her attention as she furrowed her brows.

The Sheriff went to respond to what she told him, but Gabriella's attention was elsewhere. He noticed she was looking around the room like for a source of noise. "Hey, sweetheart, are you alright?"

Gabriella whipped her head back to him, "You don't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Gabriella looked around the room; the voice she was hearing kept getting louder. Looking at the Sheriff she noticed the coffee cup on the table sitting up getting closer to the cup, she heard it repeating, "Close the door."

"What is it Gabriella?" The Sheriff asked genuinely perplexed with how this visit was going.

"The cup, it is saying close the door," she said looking up to the Sheriff knowing he thought she was crazy, but she was too distracted now by the multiple voices whispering something else. Grabbing the cup leaning her ear to it, "What door?" she asked into the cup knowing she looked like a total nutjob. All she got in response is now multiple voices repeating something she cannot decipher.

But she knew the purpose of this message who the warning was for.

A feeling of dread took over her, the same feeling she got when the urge to scream happened. She realized it was too late for them – him as the whispering began to become louder and louder.

"Are you okay Gabriella?" At this question, she knew the Sheriff thought she was officially crazy, she knew that she made herself look like a fool. Gabriella slowly backed away from the cup as the Sheriff kept speaking, "If this is too hard, I can leave, and I can leave you my number so you can call me if you remember anything."

"No, no, it is nice having a visitor, despite the circumstance. I'm sorry where did we leave off," She asked giving him a forced smile.

The Sheriff gave her a small smile and went to grab his cup of coffee for a sip when a scream erupted in the room. He watched as his cup of coffee exploded he would have been shocked from the exploding coffee cup if it were not for the high pitch volume of the scream that seemed to be never ending. He was shocked even more when he watched as orderlies flooded the room trying to calm down a hysterical Gabriella. He watched as she repeatedly said, "Tell him to close the door." He watched as her eyes glossed over everyone as she was looking for someone in particular. When he did make eye contact with her she tried to escape the hold of the orderlies and strained to say something to him, but the sedative they must have given her made her tongue numb, and the word, or name, more specifically died in her throat.


	6. Scratches

The Sheriff pulled up to the animal clinic where his son informed him where he was. Sighing heavily he thought about what he just witnessed at Eichen House with Gabriella Martin. He was sure that he just brought on another episode for her, what really made his skin crawl was the look she gave him when she told him about the door. But besides the peculiar incident, the hard life she must have been living in Eichen House was evident on her body in her structure. She looked hollow, her skin was an only a little shade darker from when he found her shivering in the woods from the cold and blood loss. Dark bags under her eyes bruised her skin and made her bright blue eyes dull, but at the same time it made them stand out as they shown every emotion she was feeling: anger, irritable, tired, and sad. Turning his car off, he stepped inside the clinic, his son and Scott who were waiting for him greeted him.

Stiles walked up to his dad eager for information about his visit with Gabriella, "How did the visit go?" Stiles was tempted to ask his dad if he would be allowed to go with him into Eichen House, but he knew that would be overstepping boundaries. Then when his dad called him after leaving he knew it wasn't a good visit. He could tell by the multiple deep breaths his father took in between his words on the phone also by his father tone he knew something else happened – something  _supernatural_.

The Sheriff's shoulders visibly slouched down in defeat, "I probably caused that girl to go into a breakdown asking her about that night."

"What happened?" Stiles asking genuinely concerned. He could already envision her blue eyes overflowing like a sink the tears staining her face like running paint the smears being an open wound to her pain.

The Sheriff looked at his son than brought his gaze to Scott knowing Stiles probably told him about Gabriella and beckoned him to come over also, "I really didn't get anything out of her, but at the end she started screaming-"

"Screaming?" Stiles interrupted shooting a questionable glance at Scott knowing another Martin family member does that and he started to suspect Gabriella was indeed a banshee.

"Yes, screaming it literally made my coffee cup explode, but she looked so scared she was trying to tell me something." The Sheriff said obviously distressed about what occurred back in the visitation room.

"Did she tell you something?" Scott asked speaking up.

"She wasn't able to the medicine they gave her put her under, but before she kept saying close the door." The Sheriff informed.

Stiles and Scott both give each other a look at the mention of a door needing to be closed as Deaton just explained they needed to close both of theirs immediately, which the Sheriff noticed, only if he knew how her words hit Stiles the hardest, how she had been warning him in her last appearances in his dreams. "Is there something significant about a door that I should know about?"

"No, no, so are you still going to look into the accident?" Stiles said to appease his dad and not get him to worry more about him then he already is.

"I don't know. I am going to give Gabriella a couple days see if she is up for another visit, but it might just be a dead end." The Sheriff told the two teens sadly, as this will still be marked as an unsolved case and he just opened old wounds for a 16-year-old girl, "But I am going to head to the Martin household to speak with Natalie if she remembers anything significant."

Stiles watched his dad walk away turning to face Scott, "So I take it banshee- _ism_ runs in the Martin household." Stiles said to Scott who looked in deep thought, "Okay what are you thinking about?"

Scott looked at his best friend, "If Gabriella thinks she saw yellow eyes maybe they were her dad's he started to shift for some reason and lost control of the car."

"Well we can't know for sure if we don't check out the crash site," Stiles said running his hands through his hair. He was trying to stop his conscious from nagging at him that Gabriella wouldn't want her to be doing all this research. For some reason he genuinely was starting to care about Gabi and a part of him knew he shouldn't. With all the past events, him and trust have been a closely guarded thing. He knew by all means Gabriella was not a part of Scott's pack, but as he didn't know her purpose to her being in his dreams. Jennifer came under the disguise of being an innocent school teacher – a trusted figure to children – and look how that turned out. Then again, Gabriella was just another person who he once knew locked in Eichen House from the result of whatever happened the night of her father's accident.

He knew though somehow her dad's accident connected with all of this and just like last night when she appeared in his room she was warning him about his state of Bardo.

Scott with a smirk on his face looked at Stiles, "Looks like we are searching for a dead body, tonight."

...

Scott and Stiles now in the woods, Stiles walking behind Scott as he led the way to the accident spoke up, "You know if my dad's right, that means - there's another werewolf in town that we haven't met yet."

"I know."

"If it turns out to be something like triplets that form into, like, a three-headed hound of hell, I'm seriously not up for that." Stiles said thinking about the now omega twins Aiden and Ethan.

"Yeah. Me either."

"You know if it is Gabriella's dad, why would he leave her practically unscathed ya know, do you think he was semi-aware of what he was doing?" Also why would her dad still be out in the woods was the real question going through his mind.

"Maybe because it was his daughter," Scott replied saying it more as a question than statement. Scott halted his movement and narrowed his eyes down at something wedged next to a set of boulders, jumping down from the top of the embankment him and Stiles are on he spoke up, "I think we found it."

Stiles followed Scott down and grabbed his phone turning on the flashlight rushed to the car wreck.

Scott walked to the wreck was surprised it was still there, "Uh- Why wouldn't they move it? Isn't it evidence?"

Stiles shining the light on the mangled car, "Probably too much of a pain in the ass to tow out," he commented inspecting the car with the light, "Look at this. See those? Those are defiantly animal claws, right?" This was the closest he was physically going to get in the real world in connecting with Gabriella. This was another piece to the puzzle he hoped would give him a picture of what was happening to him and her.

Scott putting his hand up to the set of claw marks on the car door confirmed they are to close together to be from a shape shifter in a human form, "Yeah," but another set of marks grabbed his attention, "but those aren't claws mark."

Stiles confused got closer to the door seeing multiple smaller punctures scattered around the claw marks, "No those look like someone was stabbing it with a sword." Stiles stepped back from the car, "What the hell happened here?"

"I don't think it was a werewolf Gabriella saw… well maybe it could have been a hunter with a blade." Scott says backing up from the wreck thinking how the Argents – Gerard – like the use of a blade than gun.

"But would they attack with an innocent in the car?" Stiles said taking pictures of the car wreck and he willed his mind not to conjure up possible scenarios about Gabriella experiencing the car crash.

"If it was Gerard or Kate, maybe, nothing about this makes sense." They both didn't to mention aloud about the Hale House fire and Gerard's methods of torturing Boys and Erica and how he deceived everyone for the bite.

"What could possibly have yellow eyes?" Stiles muttered thinking it was time for him to read the Argent's bestiary.

Scott turned to his best friend, "I don't know, but whatever it was wanted her dad dead."

"Yeah, but it left her alive," Stiles said thinking about Gabriella's tear-stained 8 year old face trapped in the car.

Scott and Stiles walking back from the car wreck, Stiles couldn't stop thinking about what his dad told him about Gabriella screaming and when she screamed during their dream locked in the school, "So are we going to discuss the fact Gabriella might be a banshee, and she knew about our door?" He didn't need to say that banshee's predicted death and whoever didn't shut their door was letting death in to consume them.

Scott took a breath as he looked out into the Preserve, "I don't know, I mean it is kind of weird that a girl who we haven't seen in eight years gives your dad an eerie message, but what can we do? Just think Stiles if we go there questioning her what if it sets off another episode like today. Maybe we should leave this alone."

Stiles visibly fidgeted with the urge to solve this case for multiple reasons, "I just can't help but feel somehow this is all connected. I mean my dad said she wanted to tell him something. So the important thing is what she was going to tell him."

"Maybe it is best we just focus on closing our doors, and when I am not an Alpha with performance issues, Allison isn't seeing her dead aunt, and when you can read we can figure out what attacked Gabriella's car. I mean why are you and your dad so interested in this case anyways?"

"My dad…he wants to be able to solve one more while he's still Sheriff, plus she is in a mental institution because people think she is crazy when she clearly is not. We help – save – people, Scott, isn't that what we do." Stiles said revealing his dad's motive, but not his own. He knew he should tell Scott about Gabriella appearing in his dreams since the sacrifice.

Stiles gave his friend a bittersweet smile, but it quickly vanished when Stiles first half of the sentenced settled in, "What do you mean, "still Sheriff"?" Scott asked perplexed.

"Your dad is conducting an impeachment case against my dad," Stiles stated simply and he watched Scott clench his jaw in anger his eyes briefly flashed red before turning back to his natural brown.

"Okay, I am going to head home and you are going to get some sleep," Scott said as he headed to his dirt bike.

Stiles watched as Scott put on his helmet and drove off on his bike. Opening the door to his jeep, he sat idle in his car for once he hoped Gabriella appeared in his dream tonight. He needed answers. He needed a connection to pinpoint everything together.

* * *

Gabriella blinked multiple times as her eyes kept wincing at the harsh glare from the bright lights. She internally groaned as she realized she was in the infirmary. Spewing a few cuss words from her mouth, she visibly jumped when she heard someone clear their throat next to her. Turning to the source of the sound, she realized it was her therapist, Ms. Morrell.  _Great._

Morrell gave Gabriella a tight smile, "I am surprised to see you back in here, Ms. Martin, especially with the aid of a sedative."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, she realized at this point they actually have her strapped down by her wrists, "All I was doing was a little scream than the orderlies came barging in. I was not attacking the Sheriff or anything. I just needed to scream."

Morrell nodded her head as she began to speak, "From what I hear the Sheriff was here questioning you about that night of the accident. How do you feel about that?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes she wasn't in the mood for a session at the moment, "I don't feel anything about it. My dad is dead. I do not see the point of the Sheriff wanting to reopen it."

Ms. Morrell tilted her head at Gabriella's answer, "Don't you want justice brought to those that attacked your car?"

"Will it get me released out of here, and my family won't think I am crazy for seeing yellow eyes?" Gabriella retorted back hotly.

Ms. Morrell not answering Gabriella's question she changed the subject off the accident, "Would you like to tell me why you had the urge to scream?"

"I needed to warn him before it's too late. I can't get into his dreams easily anymore."

Morrell got up from her chair grasping her hand as she closed them into fists. The topic of Stiles seemed to strain her; the voices were scared when they warned her as if they were not supposed to be telling her, "Slow down, Gabriella, what do you mean you can't get into his dreams? Whose dreams?"

"Stiles dreams," Gabriella told her therapist what she assumed she already suspected. She knew she didn't need a last name to elaborate.

"What are they warning you to tell him?"

"They were screaming. All of them were screaming for Stiles to close his door."

Morrell looked down intensely at her and Gabriella swore she saw a smile of misfortune flash across her features, "I will give them the clear to release you back to your room. Just try not to blow up anymore coffee cups." Morrell said before she exited the room no further comment about her dreams or Stiles.

Gabriella watched Morrell's retreating form and a thought dawned on her: she didn't have a nightmare in her medical induced sleep.

* * *

Lydia was somewhat in a decent mood even though she was thrilled she wasn't the crazy one out of her friends anymore although she was still worried for her friends because she did almost get an arrow shot through her head. She knew though her friends were strong and they would persevere through their own personal Bardo.

They were a strong pack – Scott was a freaking True Alpha. Stiles was one of the most loyal person she ever met and he always figured everything out. Allison, her best friend, would pull through this because she was a strong will woman and independent. She knew they would all close their doors. They all had each other to get through this.

Lydia walked into her kitchen figuring out how to help Allison that wouldn't result in an arrow in her head and was shocked to find her mother looking desolate at the kitchen counter not at all dressed to teach at Beacon Hills High School. She also noticed her mother was holding a photograph in her hands.

Lydia quietly walked into the kitchen to where her mom was perched, "Mom, are you alright?"

Natalie looked up at her daughter and gave her a sad smile as she patted the stool next to her.

Lydia confused and worried took the seat next to her mother and her mother slid the photograph in front of her as her mom spoke up, "This is – "

"Uncle Ashton and Gabriella," Lydia finished for her mother as she looked at the aged photograph of her uncle and cousin. Guessing by the subjects' outfits, this picture was taken during a birthday party as Gabriella's face was smeared with cake and her uncle was standing behind her smiling cake smeared on his own. "What's wrong?"

"The Sheriff came by last night…he is reopening the case. He believes the accident was actually murder."

"Murder?" Lydia echoed. Lydia honestly didn't remember much about the crash. She doesn't know if her mind blocked it out or her parents shielded her from the details. All she knew was nobody spoke of her uncle and Gabriella like no one spoke of her grandmother.

"I didn't want to tell you until he finished the investigation…I knew how close you and Gabriella were before the accident."

"Why do they think it was murder?"

"New evidence I guess… god I chalked this away as a tragic accident now to think of it as murder. I am probably going to have to call your father although I don't think anything would drag him back down to Beacon Hills."

Lydia looking at the photo it reminded her of Stiles asking about Gabriella and she wondered if this was why. "Mom where is Gabriella?"

She watched, as her mom seemed to stiffen and looked reluctant to answer. "Honey, you know how your grandmother used to hear things," Natalie told her pushing some her hair out of her face. The action her mother used when she would have to reveal something that  _she_  didn't want to face, "I am sure you don't remember, but Gabriella had the same problem too and it got extremely worse after the accident your grandmother took her and then placed her in Eichen House."

"You're joking right?" Lydia asked surprised.

"Lydia, Gabriella started talking about yellow eyes things coming out of the shadows along with her claiming to hear voices in water. Look…this is a stressful topic you need to get to school and lets just see where the investigation goes." Lydia knew her mom was dismissing her. She became familiar with this tactic her mom seemed to not want to discuss anything these days regarding her father's side of the family. Lydia felt if she didn't have such disconnect with her father she would be able to get reluctant and undetected hints from him that could help her embrace being a Banshee.

Lydia pursed her lips together and gave the picture one last look before she left to head to school, Gabriella's blue eyes seared into her mind.

...

"Did you know your dad was reopening Gabriella's case?" Lydia asked Stiles  _and_  Scott in an abandoned classroom she dragged them into with Allison at her side. If anyone would be able to give her answers it would be the Sheriff's son.

Stiles looked anywhere except at the strawberry blonde as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah I only found out yesterday. Scott and I went to the crash site because she claimed to see – "

"Yellow eyes," Lydia finished for him.

"Yeah…how much do you know about the accident?" Stiles asked.

"Barely anything…your dad apparently came by yesterday told my mom some details  _like_  she was in Eichen House."

"The mental facility?" Allison questioned next to Lydia.

"Yeah," Stiles answered for her.

"So why does your dad believe this is supernatural related," Allison questioned further and all eyes turned to Stiles. It didn't take long to deduce Stiles dad opened this case from the description of seeing yellow eyes.

"Besides Gabriella mentioning yellow eyes the accident happened on a full moon, but Scott and I went to the crash site beside claw marks we found marks that looked like they came from a sword. I mean it would go along with that someone did attack the car that night."

"Wait a second, you asked about my cousin before this though," Lydia spoke up turning the spotlight fully on him completely.

"Yeah why are you so interested in Gabriella and her case?" Scott asked finally adding his voice into this conversation. Scott knew his friend became obsessive in solving things it was in his nature, but Stiles was becoming obsessively and unhealthy in wanting to solve this case and he didn't miss the spiking of his friend's heartbeat.

Stiles ran a hand through his growing hair. He knew now he needed to tell his friends about Gabriella and their connection, essentially, "Since my nightmares started happening…Gabriella has been in them."

"What do you mean she is in your nightmares?" Lydia asked slightly frightened.

Stiles hands clenched around the strap of his Nike backpack as he answered Lydia, "She is just there. I don't know why, it came to the point she was the only one that could wake me up."

"What does that mean?" Allison asked.

"Like I have to scream to make myself wake up, so in my dreams when she screams it wakes me up, I think…I think she is a banshee and she is somehow connected to our doors or whatever this is." Stiles revealed and tried to ignore their curious and questionable stares from Lydia, Allison, and Scott. They had an unknown factor – variable – in this situation – in their lives – as usual. They didn't have a manual on how to deal with this stuff. Sometimes Stiles didn't feel like that seventeen year old boy who only wanted was to actually play on the lacrosse team besides Scott and prayed that Lydia Martin would notice him, although now the latter didn't mean much to him anymore.

"Well the next plan would be to visit her at Eichen House, right; I am family so I should have a ticket in easily." Lydia said the gears in her head already turning on how to get her cousin out although she felt a little trepidation on what exactly to expect because she knew she possibly wasn't going to get a warm reception when she fundamentally abandoned and forgotten about her.

"Not if she is in the closed unit," Stiles revealed.

"What did you already try?" Lydia asked.

"Yeah, she's in the closed unit and isn't allowed visitors for a while after my dad's visit." Stiles spoke to a very rude receptionist in the morning trying to book a visit with Gabriella, but he was quickly denied especially since he was not family.

"Well I think until then I can try and ask my mom more things and when she appears in your dreams next you should tell us," Lydia said and left the room as the bell rang signaling the school day was starting.

* * *

After being released from the infirmary and the promise of being in the closed unit if she acted up again, Gabriella went down to the art room to "draw" out her feelings and she didn't feel like being around the other patients. The art room was always practically deserted besides the monitor and a few quiet patients when there wasn't art therapy or art class.

She didn't understand why the other patients didn't appreciate the art room. It had the best view in the whole building as it was high enough where you got a pretty decent view of Beacon Hills with all the city lights. She thought no matter how many times she tried to draw the nighttime view of the city she would never get it right unless she was allowed to paint it fresh in her site. Plus the room itself wasn't dull and brand like the rest of the building. Art work was displayed proudly on the walls in different mediums. Gabriella wished they had pottery, but she heard that a kiln wasn't such a good idea to have in a mental facility especially one like Eichen.

She really needed to get out of here, but all these nightmares were setting her back. Gabriella used to be fine being in Eichen by now the atmosphere was changing. Gabriella knew she wasn't crazy. She was perfectly sane as one could be in having the ability to predict death, but she realized now more than ever she didn't belong here. Just because her grandmother didn't understand didn't give her the right to make her, her own personal test subject and to top it off her grandmother became one herself.

Gabriella loved her grandmother just as much as she hated her.

Gabriella was sitting at an easel letting her mind draw whatever when eyes peaked over the top of the canvas and it caused Gabriella to blink out of her trance of drawing.

"Hey Meredith wants up?" Gabriella asked setting down her paintbrush stained with yellow.

Gabriella watched as Meredith took a bottle of paint and shook it making it liquefy more and she uncapped the lid putting it next to her ear. "Do you hear them…the kids…they're screaming."

Gabriella listened intently to hear anything when she heard a ticking sound followed by a boom that caused her to jump from her stool in fright that caused it to tip over and her palette to drop the remnant of paint splashing her and her painting. It wasn't the sound that caused her to jump it was when she glanced at the picture she was painting: A picture of glowing gold color eyes with an angry background of black, red, yellow, with some silver and blue.

Meredith put her hand up to the canvas her fingers stained with red paint as she drew a backwards five, "You drew them, the screaming kids with the glowing eyes."


	7. String

In his bedroom, Stiles connected a piece of red yarn of William Barrow to the picture of the high school on his elaborate murder board. He knew the plaster of his walls would be ruined by the various tack marks and he would probably have to repaint the room or remodel although that was questionable as if his dad was stripped of his Sheriff's title by Scott's dad there would be no funds for that. Stiles knew he would need to get a job soon he couldn't live off his dad or his money left over from his mom's life insurance and since he didn't need to take his Adderall consistently his SSI would probably be discontinued especially after his 18th birthday. Stiles rubbed his forehead in exhaustion. Despite his fatigue, his mind never stopped thinking.

At first, the board was small and fit on a tack board he hung on his wall it only contained facts detailing Gabriella Martin's case, but after school today, he expanded it to Barrow since technically both had reports of seeing glowing eyes even if the cases weren't even remotely related. In addition, he needed to take advantage of the fact he could read at the moment.

He believed somehow the cases were connected. In his mind he felt the wheels turning trying to decipher the connection as if it was all one big code – riddle. When he looked at it too much sometimes it felt like he had mental blinders on to stop him from figuring out what he was looking for. He suspected he needed a third eye to see a connection, but no one had the mind he had except maybe his dad. Although it all came down to the fact with he wanted to save – help – Gabriella from her predicament being in Eichen House and of having to experience the horrors of his dreams. He knew in probably saving Gabriella he could maybe close his door and save himself from whatever wanted through.

Now though somehow William Barrow was connected to this in the bigger picture. Despite them not finding the psychotic killer blowing up kids – werewolves presumably – with glowing eyes in the high school despite Lydia feeling he was there. He still believed she was right. Barrow was there in the school for something – someone. Plus, he knew a few students that fit the criteria of having glowing eyes.

Better yet, where did he go after he got what he wanted at Beacon Hills High school? There was no explosion no bomb wrapped in a box. Stile knew in his gut he was missing something as he drew a rather large question mark next to his print out picture of the high school.

Stiles was surprised his mind could still operate this fast considering how tired he felt at the moment. His eyes felt dry from the strain of reading all the articles he printed and posted on his wall. He knew he would have no trouble in easing into sleep tonight.

"I see you have my cousin on the wall connected to Eichen House, the Nemeton, and you with the red string also? What does all the string mean?"

Stiles turned to look at Lydia who was lying across his bed twirling the red yarn over her finger. He honestly forgot she was in his room watching him as he printed more articles and most likely hearing him speak in chopped sentences as he tried to work out a theory on today's events. Stiles thought how for years and up to a couple weeks ago to be honest how he fantasized of this scenario of Lydia in his room in a different context. Now, he feels those feelings slowly ebbing away and Lydia actually turning into a good and trusted friend. Stiles was startled to realize his feelings for Lydia were changing, but he didn't have time to fully digest this as they were looking for a murderer. His life couldn't revolve around the simple feelings of having a crush anymore. He didn't have time to be a teenager and dealing with his raging and conflicting hormones he needed to deal with murderers, werewolves, Druids, and maybe even Bigfoot. The Bestiary was slowly turning to be his number one book to read for the summer.

Stiles looked at his wall covered in red string connecting to some pictures to other pictures as he answered, "Oh, just different stages of the investigation. So green is solved, yellow is to be determined, blue's just pretty." Blue also reminded him of Gabriella's cobalt eyes.

"What does red mean?" Lydia probed again as he left that color she is currently twirling around her finger out of his synopsis.

"Unsolved," he stated plainly.

"You only have red on the board."

"Yes, I'm aware. Thank you." Stiles said incensed as she stated the obvious. At this point, Stiles wanted to tear down his wall and start a bon fire of all the articles. Maybe the smoke and ashes could give him something to work with. He could perform a ritual or something ask the powers that be for some guidance as the Druids worshipped trees although Stiles pursed his lips as if he ate a sour lemon at the thought of the Nemeton.

"So you have been seeing my cousin ever since the Sacrifice, right?" Lydia asked him tentatively as if she was unsure on how to approach the topic. It seemed delicate for some reason.

Stiles turned around to look at Lydia and slowly nodded his head. He honestly expected more questions to come from her, but he didn't really have answers. The situation was bizarre for him despite everything he has been dealing with since January of their sophomore year.

"Do you guys talk much?" Lydia didn't know how to comprehend the fact Stiles of all people was seeing her cousin in a dream. To her it reminded her of when she was hallucinating Peter. There was a message and a purpose behind it. Of course, it was going to be supernatural related too. Plus, at this point, Stiles knew more about her cousin than her probably.

"No, not really, she is really quiet, but given the circumstances I really don't expect her to talk my ear off." Stiles revealed as he thumped the end of his marker in the palm of his hand. He could still feel the heat of Gabriella's hand in his the blood warm and sticky. Her fingers that enclosed over his palms were cold themselves much like that ice cold feeling of dread he felt since he emerged from that metal tin.

"I'm going to try to get her out of there." Lydia prematurely revealed to him she still needed to talk to her mom about this as she did not know the exact protocol of getting someone released from a mental institution especially when she had no idea the exact reason of Gabriella's admittance there. Although her mom did mention that Gabriella heard things so it didn't take too long for her to put two and two together. "She is my only cousin and I can't believe I never inquired where she went after the accident." The self-guilt was evident in her voice.

The corner of Stiles' lips turned upward as he replied, "I think she would like that."

"So do you have any idea as to why she was appearing in your dreams?"

Since Gabriella's case started this elaborate board of investigation he had been pondering what was Gabriella's connection to all this. By the car wreck, he concluded there was no werewolf involved in the crash. maybe, there were claw marks on the car which could have been from coyotes scavenging or from a shape shifter who had the ability to turn fully into a wolf, like Laura Hale for example, but he didn't know what supernatural creature yielded swords and the only non-supernatural cause of the crash he could think of was hunters attacking the car so he believed Gabriella's dad  _was_ the supernatural creature. The only supernatural being that came to mind relating to the Martin family was being a Banshee and the last time he checked hunters didn't see them as too much as a threat although Jennifer did try to kill Lydia for knowing too much. No matter what dots he tried to connect, he didn't know how it connected to him. "No, I don't besides the fact she might be a banshee and we know the Nemeton has to be at play here, but I don't think she is making sacrifices at Eichen House." Stiles told her as his eyes lingered on the photo of Eichen House connected by a ring string to Gabriella's picture.

"You know my cousin was into this stuff," Lydia says wrapping the red string around her forefinger.

"The supernatural?" Stiles pondered.

"No this whole Nancy Drew investigation stuff. She loved scavengers hunts she used to make me trek through the woods behind my house to find the hidden treasures her dad used to hide."

Stiles looked at Lydia whose eyes glazed with cherished memories with a pitch of sadness, "Seems like you two were close." He could faintly remember the two Martins wearing coordinated outfits to school and how they did sit next to each other in most classes because of their names. They were like how he and Scott were and now how Lydia was with Allison.

"She is my only cousin...since you asked me about her I find myself thinking about her more. How I abandoned her…"

"Lydia you didn't abandon her." Stiles interjected but Lydia disagreed.

"No I did. I never asked questions. I forgot about her." Lydia said as her eyes turned glossy a rueful smile graced her lips. "I failed her like I did today at school."

"No we were onto something," Stiles said as he highlighted a sentence listing William Barrow's occupation onto his board.

"Even though we couldn't find any proof of Barrow being there?" She asked mockingly.

Stiles walked over to his bed and knelt down in front of her. He gave her a soft reassuring smile, "Hey, Lydia, You've been right every time something like this has happened, okay? So don't start doubting yourself now." He said hoping to bring her some comfort.

Lydia gave him a small smile in return. She sometimes felt guilty how she ignored Stiles' existence in the past or since third grade, technically. She at times didn't know how to handle the knowledge of his deep rooted crush for her. She didn't want to approach a friendship with him and have it seem like she was leading him on. Although it wasn't like Stiles wasn't a catch himself with all his quirks and oddities, but she knew deep down inside she wasn't the  _one_  for him. He deserved someone on the same caliber as him who could appreciate his love for Stars Wars, Reese's, and his Jeep and was simply his match. Not saying opposites don't attract, but for Stiles he deserved more than he probably thought he deserves and that wasn't her.

She scrunched her nose as a pungent scent hit her and he looked at her confused, "That marker has a strong scent."

Stiles let out a little laugh and stiffed the marker himself when realization dawned on him as the words he just highlighted hit his own senses. "Get up. Get up now. We're going to the school."

* * *

Scott knew the shock from the live wired triggered his shift. He felt how his muscles twitched when shifting, the bones becoming stronger and how his fangs plumped out his lips. He thought how only moments ago, he was eating pizza after attempting to eat sushi with Kira. How in that moment it felt nice to participant in a normal teenage activity although he could tell and sense Kira was embarrassed since her father was the one to approach him.

In the back of his mind, he knew it was a bad idea, because he still hadn't shut his door. He couldn't control his shift and the last thing he needed was to explain to Kira and her family on to why he was sprouting fangs and had glowing red eyes. This was what happened when he decided to act his age – act like a high school student without a care in the world. To feel like a normal boy only worrying about what test he needed to study for and if the shirt he was wearing looked nice on him. But he wasn't a normal boy he was a True Alpha who made a sacrifice and technically died and was now stuck in Bardo where the ending result was death. There were pros and cons to every situation and sometimes he disagreed with Derek how he claimed the bite was a gift.

He felt eyes on him as his body writhed from the jolt of electricity. He knew he should be in more pain, but his door needed this to close. He needed to accept this shift to gain control. The control Ethan and most importantly Aiden tried to beat out of him. He didn't want to become like Deucalion or worse Peter. He wanted to stay Scott McCall, the one who wasn't a monster and appreciated and valued his friends and family – his pack.

He heard more than he felt his claws scrape against the cement floor of the building leaving scratches in their wake.

Then he felt his body vibrate for a different reason. His energy was building as he released the growl from his mouth. He heard it bounce of the machinery in the building to inform his pack he was back.

He was all right.

He was  _the_  Alpha.

Scott got up from the floor and looked at Barrow watching him amusedly the live wiring twitching in his hand no doubt from him wanting to strike Kira at a moment's notice. Although he was the one with the glowing red eyes, he fit the criteria of the victims Barrow targeted. Despite Barrow's frail and weak appearance, Scott knew he was a dangerous man, so he wasn't going to underestimate him, but Scott knew he could take him easily even with Kira being a witness – a potential fatality. "She's not the one you want."

Scott was confident Barrow was going to attack him with the live wire, but Barrow only smirked at him quite amused as he looked back at Kira. Scott eyes widened at the outline of a fox in flames surrounding her body, but he didn't have time to digest this discovery of a new creature roaming Beacon Hills practically undetected until now then he realized what Barrow was doing, "NO!"

But it was too late, Barrow touched Kira with the livewire and the place erupted in a white blinding light before the city went black.

Only if they knew what the darkness brought.


	8. Flies

Stiles really wanted to tell Scott his dad was a douche, asshole, and jerk. He knew Rafael was only doing his job even though he didn't know all the facts. He just hated his attitude and the smug look on his face. Plus, it didn't help that he was trying to get his dad fire and this was the only reason he came back to Beacon Hills when he completely bailed on his fatherly duties. If he thought getting his best friend's father fired was a way to get back in his good graces with his only son the FBI needed to check Rafael's cognition skills.

Stiles was pretty sure Scott's dad knew how to work a phone and would be capable of wishing his only son a happy birthday and maybe even a Merry Christmas, instead of being on complete radio silence. Although, Stiles did know why Rafael left all those years ago, he never had the gull to tell Scott. It wasn't his place and Stiles would do anything to have both of his parents so he wasn't going to ruin that chance for his friend although by his dad's prolong absence that chance looked dim and Stiles thought Melissa deserved better anyways.

But he had to agree with Scott's dad about the coded message someone left for Barrow with Kira's name in atomic numbers.

Stiles stepped back from his wall as he drew a question mark in a box linking to Barrow. He had no clue or idea to where even to begin on who would want to kill Kira although it seemed he wouldn't have been able to kill her anyways since she absorbed all the energy from the power substation. So in hindsight, maybe the goal wasn't really to kill Kira, but to use her ability to absorb electricity for some reason. Stiles knew it was a big deduction to draw, but from how Scott describe how Barrow didn't care about him at all when he shifted Stiles had the inkling that Kira was just a pawn or distraction for a bigger game. She was a pawn to be used for whoever gave Barrow the message.

Stiles quickly grabbed a blank piece of paper and wrote Kira's name with a question mark, pinned it to the wall, and connected the paper to Barrow with red string.

Stiles took a step back from his wall again that was covered in red – no green, yellow, or even the pretty blue yarn. To him it reminded him of an open wound everything was coated in blood with no type of sutures to close them together. Nothing ever seemed to get solved in Beacon Hills especially when it came to the supernatural; everything seemed to be an open ended question that never really had a direct answer.

Stiles rubbed his eyes as the pictures began to blur together and still didn't give him an answer. Stiles simply concluded Barrow was crazy and he knew the blatant connection to the coded message was that it was someone from the school who wrote it.

Stiles was confused as to who even had psychos on their speed dial.

Maybe he was becoming too obsessed with trying to solve something since he couldn't solve the mysteries of his dreams or his door. Scott was able to close his door at the sub power station. Allison was able to close her door through the help of Isaac and Lydia as this time she didn't put an arrow through Lydia's forehead. All that was left was him. He could read now clearly although his sleeping habits didn't seem to change much. On top of that, he didn't know how to close his door specifically. He particularly didn't have a skill set that was vital to him besides solving cases, which now seemed to not being going anywhere for him. So he didn't know how to close his door to whatever his subconscious was warning him from – to whatever Gabriella was warning him from.

He didn't know if he should be worried.

He didn't tell his friends about his door since when he discovered he could read that breath they all seemed to be holding was released, but for him it turned into a hard pinch the breath was still stuck in his throat almost as if it didn't want to be released, but at the same time it did.

He felt as he did after the Matt situation and that sensation a person experiences before drowning. He knew personally how it felt and the instinct of voluntary apnea when he became a sacrifice. How he fought to not let the water in and then he felt that peace. Now though he doesn't think he will experience that peace. His body was fighting not to let something in and he knew he was suffering from that hypervigilance Morrell diagnosed him with. He felt that he was constantly under threat, but this time it didn't feel like a panic attack.

Stiles tore another piece of red yarn as he connected Barrow's picture to Eichen House whose only other connection was to Gabriella Martin, which lead back to him.

* * *

Gabriella was bored as she twirled her spoon in the tomato soup that was cold. Gabriella only believed in eating tomato soup if she had a grilled cheese sandwich to dip into it as she did when she was younger, but she could not afford that luxury anymore. It was either chicken noodle or tomato soup every day. Some days they were lucky if the chef decided to make something with stale leftovers, but even then Gabriella wasn't that desperate or starved for that matter. Eichen House had decent food, but she stuck with just eating salads and she attributed her weak and small frame to that from the lack of protein she consumed besides her carton of milk in the morning.

Gabriella was worried if she ever did get into a physical altercation her little bones would break easily. She was surprised when in Stiles dreams how she never got broken bones from the rough situations his mind conjured up that she needed to face. She wished they offered some sort of defenses classes here although giving mentally ill patient muscle mass and quick reflexes wouldn't work in favor for certain orderlies.

Her doctors though were already concerned about her mental wellbeing so it didn't help she stuck to only one food group and now she looked like a walking corpse from the recurring nightmares. She could be exaggerating slightly on her physical appearance, but she wished she had a little more curves and weight on her bones.

Gabriella knew she could leave the cafeteria at any moment, but she didn't know where else to go in her free time. She had a light schedule compared to other residents with schooling and with her level of clearance of what she was restricted to do or go. Schooling in Eichen House worked different since each person had certain needs and disabilities.

Luckily, for Gabriella she was able to test out for most of her classes and she only needed to take the required classes the law demanded students to take for torture. Morrell told her high IQ was rare, but not uncommon with the Martin family. So after lunch Gabriella was free with her day and she usually went into the art room, but after a few days ago she wasn't in the mood to draw or look at paint.

So her time after lunch was filled with group alternating every other day and one-on-one once a week unless she needed more until dinner time came around. After dinner they gave the residents two hours of free time depending on clearances before shower time and bed. It was all methodical and done on a tight fit routine schedule. Sometimes she felt Eichen House could pass for a military school. Although mind you this type of "treatment" was on her side of the ward obviously some other patients are not cognitively aware have more lax treatment, well Gabriella suspected they did.

So for today as she didn't know what to do until they called for showers, she decided to stay seated at her table that only had her in the far corner where she could observe everyone. As usual, the cafeteria was loud with voices and utensils clinking against metal trays. She thought it was unusual Eichen House allowed them metal silverware since it was considered a dangerous object. Although she wasn't going to complain since it meant she didn't need to use a spork. But she knew a lot of people pocketed these items, so she thought technically it would be a health hazard.

Gabriella would actually prefer the use of plastic.

It was better for the environment and her immune system, but she suspected Eichen House saved some chump change not using plastic, but it wasn't like this place was hurting for money either.

While she was still twirling her spoon in the cold soup she seriously regretted not grabbing the chocolate pudding they were offering as the choice of desert for dinner. She blamed it on the extreme fatigue she was experiencing from the two hours of sleep she got last night. Usually Meredith would give Gabriella her pudding and applesauce when it was offered. Speaking of Meredith, Gabriella looked around in the sea of blue and grey wondering where her roommate was at. Lunch and dinner was when she and Meredith would have mela cupas and Gabriella attempted to lift up Meredith spirits about her upcoming test.

As much as Gabriella hated the same boring routine, she and Meredith stuck to them. Really the routines were a safety net especially for Meredith. It was what kept her grounded to reality and not to get lost in her head. Gabriella and Meredith both had episodes where the voices and that feeling were so strong they would go into a fugue state and end up somewhere having no recollection on how or why they got there. Gabriella was so lost in trying to locate Meredith's blonde fro that she didn't notice the figure approaching her table until they took a seat on the other side of her causing her to jump.

Gabriella looked at the uninvited occupant who was an older gentleman who seemed sickly pale; he looked like he had burn marks on his skin, and frail with curly hair. She didn't miss his sly smile as he set his plate and silverware on the table. Times like this she seriously wished Eichen House had plastic utensils.

The cafeteria in Eichen House was not segregated technically, of course, if you had an extreme diagnosis and was a danger to another person or worse yourself you ate in a restricted heavily watched section or in your room. Other than that the chow hall was your free for all since it was a three hour free period to accommodate the school kids and the population of adults.

Gabriella stopped twirling her spoon as the man just sat there unmoving after he unwrapped his napkin from his silverware, "Uh…hi." She greeted cautiously. Gabriella waited for some type of response, but all she got was him starting to twitch his head as if he was hearing something in his head. She was familiar with that movement.

Gabriella wasn't necessarily bothered by that really since living here she got used to all the types of behavior from certain illnesses, but it was the buzzing sound he was making that really took her attention to something was off about this whole encounter if she could call it that.

Gabriella went to get up from the table and then the man started speaking, "In the Biblical fourth plague of Egypt, flies epitomize death and decay." The man spoke quietly still twitching his head as he spoke. "Myiagros was a god in Greek mythology who chased away flies during the sacrifices to Zeus and Athena, and Zeus sent a fly to bite Pegasus, causing Bellerophon to fall back to Earth when he attempted to ride the winged steed to Mount Olympus."

"Well it seems you have a bit of an obsession with flies, sir," Gabriella said easily and got up from the table but what he said next made her whole body go still.

"Your cousin thought she was hearing them, but she was all wrong  _a bit_  of a misinterpretation. I heard you got the right message though…about all those glowing eyes that were screaming."

"William Barrow," Gabriella whispered.

The whole house was in frenzy with this new admission and she wondered why they were letting him roam free when he was a mass murderer who targeted kids.

"He was worried for a moment Lydia was going to get us caught," he told her as he began shaking his head almost if he was trying to get rid of the thoughts or the words he was speaking. Gabriella would make the connection that he was almost acting as if he was possessed, "but he realized she isn't nearly advanced as you are." William told her his voice laced with malice. Gabriella went to fully walk away this time when she felt a strong grip on her arm that caused her to drop her tray the tomato sauce splashing them both screams erupted from the fluid. She longed to cover her ears the pain of the voices was palpable to her she could feel the intravenous drops of terror chill her bone as it trekked through her veins. Gabriella was struggling trying to remove her arm out of his grip when he kept talking. "He is very upset with you…trying to warn  _Stiles,"_  Barrow gestured down to the empty soup bowl while Gabriella wondered where the hell the aids were where they were not seeing this scene, "you hear them don't you…"

"Let go of me," Gabriella growled at him. She knew there was going to be a bruise of his fingerprints around her wrist from him.

"He's coming and he wants you to do the one thing you do best," before Gabriella could comprehend what was happening she found herself being pushed on top of the table with Barrows forearm against her throat, "Scream!" He demanded and like an automatic response the scream erupted from Gabriella's throat. Through her screams all Gabriella could think was how smoothly her birthday went.

* * *

Lydia covered her ears as the lite growling and popping sound turned high pitch causing her ears to start ringing piercing her eardrums. Lydia uncovered her ears and put her hands out in front of her. From the neon lights hitting her she could see the liquid coating her fingertips. Lydia put her hand back to the side of her face where she felt some more liquid running down from her ear creating a trail like misty tears.

Lydia looked back into the crowd where her friends were sprouted about enjoying the blackout party that was taking advantage of the blackout in Beacon Hills caused by William Barrow trying to fry Kira alive. Lydia called out for Scott, but she knew it would be fugal with the music blasting through the speakers and the volume no doubt was probably impairing his hearing.

Lydia made her way outside onto Derek's patio where she caught her breath. She looked down at her hand again where blood remained she rubbed her fingers against the bottom of her shorts not caring if she stained them.

She didn't know what to make of the blood that flowed out of her ears as this never happened to her before and she didn't know if she could classify this as a Banshee side effect although with the volume of pitch Scott, Isaac, and the twins should have heard it.

Lydia knew she shouldn't have come to this party.

Lydia wiped her ears again erasing the remnants of blood when the popping sound emerged in her ears again. Lydia brought her head up and watched in fear as a corporal being emerged from the concrete cloaked in black blocked her exit. Lydia turned around to scream when another figure from behind her snatched the sound from her mouth with his hand. She felt him place a hand on the left side of her face and she saw yellow before everything went cold and dark.

* * *

Stiles held the key in his hand as he hesitated to put it in the lock of the chemical storage room where Barrow hid and performed surgery on himself. Stiles knew exactly what it meant if the key that had phosphorus on it fit perfectly into the lock. Stiles slid the key into the lock. It was a perfect fit as he turned the knob to open the chemical closet door. Stiles backed away from the door as he brain tried to filter how and when did this happen. When did he get the key to the storage room?

He felt that familiar stirring of a panic attack – that hypervigilance of being under attack. He felt like he couldn't breath as that unknown and latent fear crept up inside of him with the though he ordered someone to kill someone – to kill Kira.

Stiles turned around as he walked closer to the chalkboard that had the code still written on it that made Barrow target Kira.

He picked up the white piece of chalk the dust staining his fingertips of his clammy hands he rewrote the numbers. The calligraphy was just the same and he recognized his own handwriting. Stiles felt the piece of chalk fall from his hands as he backed away from the board. He felt his breathing pick up.

He felt his throat constrict.

He thought about the trick they played on coach with the nuts and screws wrapped in a box. The same way Barrow made the bomb that killed the children.

He left the message.

Then everything made sense when the Erlenmeyer flask came into his vision. His mind went back to his nightmare with Gabriella when they were trapped in the chemistry room. It wasn't him reliving the night when they were trapped in the school.

It was a warning.

All his dreams with Gabriella have been warnings from her warning them to not let them in. That's why his mind stopped conjuring her in his dreams because she was warning him.

Just who exactly did he let in?


	9. Exam Room

Stiles opened his eyes, but completely shut them from the harsh glare of the lights. He knew he wasn't in his room because the bed was not a pillow top and the covers were scratchy. The bed was a twin and he wasn't lying on his pillow.

"You are dreaming."

Stiles jumped at the sound of the feminine voice and he opened his eyes to find Gabriella sitting cross-legged in a faux leather lounge chair. She gave him a small smile before she got up from her chair and sat down at the edge of the foreign bed he was laying on.

She looked different since the last time he seen her in his dreams. She looked extremely tired and angry red purplish bruises were setting under her eyes. Her eyes were more noticeable as her hair was in a high ponytail her hair didn't obscure his observation of her. Plus the dark surroundings made her eyes look extremely bright as if they were a neon sign. She seemed thinner too as her shirt hung off her shoulder, her collarbone protruded from her skin. He knew he was doing this to her although at the same time he was dreaming and his mind could be playing tricks on him. Her physical appearance could just be an illusion.

"So I haven't seen you in a while." She commented as she looked at him taking in every little detail about him. Stiles probably would have blushed under such scrutiny, but he knew because of what his appearance looked like as they mirrored hers minus the thinning of muscle mass.

"You look different," Gabriella continued hesitantly before she looked away from him as their eyes met, "...I mean you look extremely tired."

Stiles nodded his head. Those same observations he noticed about her with the darkening that was fighting for dominance under her eyes were appearing on him too. They weren't as pronounced as her, but he noticed the red rims on his eyes. Stiles sat up higher on the bed to lean against the headboard. The tranquility he felt in being in Gabriella's presence was unreal. It felt too pure with everything that was happening around him. He honestly felt that in his dreams at the beginning with her was the calm right before the storm, right before the terror. "It's been a rough couple of days…I haven't been sleeping much." Ever since Barrow and the key, he still could see the key illuminating at the black-out party and Caitlyn telling him about phosphors which made things glow. Looking back at Gabriella, her eyes reminded him of the pale neon blue that coated the key in the darkness.

The setting of this dream was at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital where he was currently sleeping with the aid of a sedative since he hadn't gotten more than eight hours of sleep in the last few days. This was recommended by Scott who he thought wasn't or didn't take his concern about his role with William Barrow seriously. Stiles wasn't all that sure of his role entirely and consciously he knew he would never do something as order a man to kill someone, but he never closed his door. He was still losing track of time and a sense of his surroundings.

He wondered if he should tell Gabriella about his revelation and connection to William Barrow trying to kill Kira, or whatever Barrow wanted with her. He wasn't sure how much Gabriella knew about what went on outside of Eichen House, but Barrow was a patient there now. She certainly must have been exposed to some gossip and if he was right about her being a banshee she probably was definitely hearing things. Her voice broke him out of his daze.

"Another thing we have in common…two peas in a pod." She told him with a small smile tugging at her lips as she traced a spiral onto his bed with her finger. The irony of what she was drawing – a symbol of vendetta – was not lost on him as Scott got bit by Peter's need for revenge of his family that mostly all perished in the Hale house fire orchestrated by Kate Argent.

Stiles chuckled at her statement. He watched as she crawled next to him but she laid down with her head resting on the pillow he just abandoned. It was than he noticed how small she really was and for some reason the morbid thought of how easily it would be to hurt her entered his mind how easily it would be to bruise her.

Stiles swallowed the disgust of his thoughts in his throat as he turned away from looking at her. He was scared of where that thought came out of and in his head it seemed his mind seemed angry and he felt a pressure building in his skull that he used to feel in his chest.

"Hey you okay?"

Stiles blinked his eyes and he realized how his fists were clenching the thin covers and Gabriella was sitting up with her hand on his shoulder. He was brought back to that dream in his room where she warned him to not open the door in his bedroom and how she told him to ignore it and to get back in bed. Her touch was welcoming and it scared him how real it felt. With the cold that chilled his body he welcomed the burn of her skin on his.

He shook his head. He knew lying to her would be pointless, but he wasn't sure what to tell her. He had a lot of things he wanted to breach with her when he was in school and at home he found himself wishing she was there in the present helping him figure out what exactly was going, but everything he seemed to want to figure out ended in more questions – more riddles. Plus, she was stuck at Eichen House and it seemed whoever was her social worker seemed dead intent on not letting her have visitors or phone calls especially since he was not family, and he never made a move to contact her before as a friend. Eichen House seemed very strict and he wondered how Gabriella dealt with it.

He looked at Gabriella and brown met blue as they both took in each other intently.

They would always have this connection he thought.

A part of him didn't want the dreaming to stop because besides the dream sharing something interested him about Gabriella.

He wanted to get to know her.

He wanted to be able to get her bright blue eyes to shine like they used too.

Her eyes looked grey now as if they were drifting through a storm.

Stiles cleared his throat and that was when he felt that his hand wasn't gripping the thin cover, but was in Gabriella's small cold hands. "So my dad is reopening your case."

She snorted and let out a dry laugh that was not laced with any amusement, "Yeah and he didn't find anything did he?" They both knew he didn't as his dad would have made a follow up visit with her and her family. Plus, he knew his dad couldn't find any connection to another party being involved in the crash and his dad definitely would not get the go ahead to do a search party for clues on an 8 year old case while being under investigation.

"I went to the crash site." He revealed and he felt her stiffen next to him before she completely removed herself off the bed.

"Why would you do that?" She asked crossly as she crossed her arms and looked at him.

Stiles furrowed his brow at her sudden burst of  _anger_. "I am trying to help."

"You can't help me, Stiles, so stop wasting your time it is just only going to get yourself and your friends hurt."

"Don't you think it is a little too late for me to not help you…I mean look where we are at? You are in my dream – my dream – I can't not want to figure this out about how you connect to all of this." In his rant, he didn't comprehend why Gabriella was so against this. If he was able to figure out the cause of her crash and in addition to their connection it would get her out of Eichen House. He would think she would want to get out of Eichen House. It was not as if she didn't have any family to take her in and Lydia was already working on how to get her out. Then it clicked she knew more than she was probably letting on. Something must have happened since their last encounter.

Stiles rose up from the bed as he gingerly approached her. He didn't make no move for contact so he just stood in front of her as she looked everywhere but him despite their close proximity. Stiles tongue prodded the inside of his cheek as he contemplated the sudden coldness that fenced this room – them. He exhaled a deep breath before he spoke, "You saw something out there that night…whatever happened that night is connected to what is happening now."

Her eyes gave away the answer. Her eyes were her tell he saw the storm brewing in them become harsher. She broke their proximity – their intimacy – when she walked away. She hid her face in her hands he saw clearly the conflict – the trouble. He softly put his hand on her shoulder, "You can trust me."

"That is part of the problem, Stiles. I shouldn't… you haven't given me any reason too and it is bad for my mental state too."

"What does that mean?"

Gabriella turned around and looked at the boy who was literally haunting her dreams. How his whiskey eyes were clashing with her sapphires ones imploring for an answer. She didn't realize it at first, but when she started to dig through her concern for him and how she was reluctant to share any information on him, she sometimes wanted Stiles to figure out her dad's case and maybe tell her family she was okay to live with them until she could get a place on her own.

She attributed these feelings to that Stiles was the first social interaction she had outside of Eichen House although it wasn't much of a positive social interaction.

"Stiles you are the first person I had contact with outside of Eichen House…you…and your dad gave me hope that I could get out of there even when my case is so questionable especially if we are ignoring our current predicament. I don't know what really happened that night, Stiles, or even the events that led up to it."

Gabriella didn't know really. She was sure she would have been able to find out especially with Morrell's vast knowledge of the supernatural, but she didn't want to open her mind up to that again. She just remembered it being so cold even her dad was so cold. He seemed so irritated especially when she wouldn't get his riddles right. He especially didn't like it when she began screaming and crying because the voices were too loud in her head.

"You know I haven't even told my therapist this." Gabriella mentioned offhandedly as she tried to stall the words from rolling off her tongue as her mind went back to that night. How fast the car was going down the road and her dad kept checking his rearview mirror as if something was coming. She remembered her silently crying because she became scared of her dad and how he became so mean. She remembered crying because she wanted to stay with Lydia. She remembered clutching her teddy bear so tight as she looked out into the passing woods when she saw the flecks of yellow illuminate the darkness. She tried to warn her dad, but it was too late.

Gabriella self-consciously rubbed her leg which was branded with a scar from that night. She looked back up at Stiles who was waiting attentively for her to speak, "That night of the accident…it was dark…they came out of the shadows."

"Who came out of the shadows?"

They both should have expected it, but both of their gazes glanced up to the overheard light of the hospital room as they began to start flickering causing the buzzing of the electricity to become more pronounced. Like the buzzing that could have be mistaken for the sound of flies.

It was then when Gabriella became transfixed on the flower vase in the room, which didn't hold the normal flowers of tulips or roses, but mistletoe.

"Did you close your door Stiles?" Gabriella asked completely ignoring Stiles last question although she didn't necessarily need an answer from him as the voices give her the answer and she walked away from him towards the vase. Gabriella's hand traced the petals of the mistletoe as she spoke in a whisper, "You didn't, did you?"

Gabriella felt his breath on her neck as he answered. She wasn't even aware he was standing so close behind her. "How do you know that?"

"The water…it tells me." She told him simply and they both jumped back as the vase exploded shattering into minuscule pieces on to the floor. The water dripped off the edge of the table onto the floor, her reaction was instant as she covered her ears and dropped down to the floor to hold off the scream. She could vaguely hear Stiles asking what's wrong. Her body was vibrating with trepidation until she felt as if she was being submerged in ice cold water. Then it stopped and she felt the liquid surrounding her hands as she looked up at Stiles' face who looked alarmed.

Gabriella removed her hands that were coated with blood when Stiles immediately grabbed her face his hands enclosing around the her cheeks very close to her neck so close his hands could easily enclose around her neck to choke her, "Your ears…they're bleeding."

It was the way he sounded so amused the low decibel of his voice that caused the scream to be released.

* * *

Stiles eyes sprung open as he felt the sedative leave his body. He felt like he had a dream, but he couldn't quite recall it as if something didn't want him to. Stiles removed the covers off him as he walked to leave the exam room. He stepped out into the deserted hallway and called out for Melissa, but didn't receive an answer.

Stiles ventured further down the seemingly deserted hallway and decided to cut through one of the rooms. He stepped into one of the vacated surgery rooms when he stopped as he heard a low snarl and popping sound hit his eardrums. Stiles felt a presence behind him when he peeked over his shoulder and saw two corporeal beings cloaked in black with smoke creeping from their bodies standing behind him.

Stiles eyes widened at the menacing figures and he went to make a run for it when another single figure blocked his exit.

All of them stood at a standstill and Stiles watched as the figures eyes glowed yellow. He watched as the being's hand went to reach out to touch his face and then his mind went black.


	10. Cold

"How is she?"

"Despite the blanket her temperature is still dropping. She is on the verge of becoming hypothermic," Nurse Cross informed Morrell as she checked her vitals and placed a warm cloth on Gabriella's forehead. Gabriella had been asleep since her incident with Barrow in the cafeteria. The attending aide was doing room check when they tried to wake up the sleeping brunette, but she didn't budge.

After the twelve hour mark they gave her a shot of adrenaline, but she stayed asleep and then her body started getting cold even Meredith wasn't able to tell Morrell about where Gabriella may be or what was even happening to her. Gabriella was starting to become a medical mystery although they were lucky they did have a supernatural floor. All Morrell knew what creature was influencing Gabriella's behavior it was the how that was concerning. She knew the creature was powerful itself, it didn't need to constantly active host for its power to grow time and age was its allies. Morrell was concerned on why he needed Gabriella to be quiet. Morrell knew Gabriella knew more than what she was letting on, but even if she did know how to stop its wrath she was stuck here. Morrell believed it viewed Gabriella as a threat or he didn't need her to exhaust her powers so soon.

"I am starting to suspect her body put itself in a coma. It's like it is psychosomatic. Whatever is going on in her dream or this sleeping state is affecting her. We won't know anything until Dr. Fenris arrives."

Morrell nodded her head as she took a seat in the longer chair next to the hospital bed where Gabriella laid stuck in her dream. She knew Gabriella getting this deeply stuck in her unconscious state was not a good sign. She knew she was going to have to get Gabriella to open up about these dreams and about Stiles. She couldn't maintain the balance if she did not have the all the facts – all the details.

* * *

Stiles hoped Scott would find him soon. He hated that he didn't know how he got here in this basement. He knew it was another sleepwalking episode. His mind barely seemed to retain anything – it was in a constant state of blackouts – since he got that sleep with the help of the sedative from Melissa.

Stiles tried to contain his sobs of fear as he fumbled with his phone as his body shivered from the cold. He knew his battery was on the verge of dying and he needed to conserve much of its life as he could. Despite the cold, he felt the pain in his leg he told Scott about - the heaviness of it. Finding the flashlight on his phone, he aimed it down at his leg only to see it bloody encased in a jaw trap. He couldn't help the scream that tore through his throat. He felt salty tears form a misty trail down his cheek as his mind tried to grasp how he was trapped down in this industrial basement he didn't recognize.

Stiles then heard the clinking of metal moving along the concrete floor with a whimper of pain. Stiles hastily turned his phone to the direction of the sound and jumped when he saw a bloody hand coming from behind a large industrial boiler as it disappeared leaving a smeared bloody handprint in its wake.

"S-Stiles," the feminine voice called out to him in between the sniffling her face was obscured by her hair, but he knew that voice.

"Gabi?" She must have been what he heard when he told Scott that someone else was down here with him. He felt some relief flow through his body, but that must have met they were dreaming, but this felt too real. Stiles looked at his hand holding the phone there was no extra finger. This felt too real.

He watched as she nodded her head as she made movement to get towards him. She was crawling – more like sliding – against the floor that's when he noticed all the blood coating her arms, hands, and shirt and the hiss of pain as she stuttered out to him, "I-I'm s-s-so c-col-l-d."

His light was still shining brightly on her despite his shaking of his hands from the icy temperature, "Gabi, where is the blood coming from?"

"Trap," she told him as pointed to her leg now in view with a jaw trap on her right foot the chain was in her hand though. He couldn't even think about how she was able to move with the pain she was in.

Then Stiles noticed her body stopped shivering and she seemed to sag against the boiler her eyes closed. "Gabi! Gabi!" He practically shouted at her, "You need to open your eyes. You are almost here just a little bit closer." If he could move he would have dragged her over to him himself, but unlike her trap it was chained to one of the pipes in the room. "I know you are cold and it hurts Gabi, but please…" He choked out as his body shook violently from fear and the cold.

He saw her tighten her grip on the chain as she weakly nodded her head. Her back turned to him he watched as she began sliding towards him. He couldn't help the twist in his stomach as he watched her blood smear against the concrete floor to reach him and he thought it was an eternity before she did even reach him, but when she did he immediately grasped her blood coated hand. Her phalanges were ice cold, probably colder than his it was the opposite of the warmth she usually brought. He didn't know if he would be of any use as he was sure his body temperature was running in the negatives.

"It's no use, Stiles, my body stopped shivering conserve your own heat," she told him weakly, but it didn't matter to him. She had a much smaller frame than him. He could afford to lose a little body heat plus he didn't want to tell her them wrapped together would benefit them both. So he ignored her and wrapped his arms around her the best her could with not to jostle their trapped ankles. It was awkward, but it could work.

"I bet this feels better," he joked feebly after they settled in their positions.

"Are we dreaming?" She asked him as he felt her grip his forearm.

"I-I don't know," he felt her stiffen in his hold at his response. Rationally he knew this had to be a dream because this was the only time he ever saw Gabriella, plus she always gave the indication that it was a dream, but if she had to question this something was off and he wouldn't have been able to call Scott so clearly and lucid in his dream would he.

Stiles felt his body stop shivering.

Stiles went to open his mouth to tell her about the Oni and about how he believed he made a connection to what she saw on the night her dad was murdered. How they fitted the description of appearing from the shadows and having glowing yellow eyes when he felt his momentarily forgotten phone slip from his hands and the flashlight highlight the room in front of them. "Did you hear that?" Gabriella asked him frightened and in a whisper.

"Hear what?"

He watched as she craned her head to the side to look up at him her lips blue as her eyes, "Stiles there is someone else here with us."

Then Stiles heard it the scraping against the concrete, Stiles covered his hand over Gabriella's and aimed it toward the sound he felt her cave into him as the light highlighted a man in a leather bomber jacket squatting with his back to them. The man with heavily bandaged fingers dropped the piece of chalk he was holding and it rolled along the concrete floor. They followed the chalk with the light and when they raised it again, the man was gone. On the wall, they both recognized the chalk-drawn backwards number 5. Gabriella recognized it from Meredith drawing it on her picture warning about Williams Barrow while Stiles recognized it from Scott telling him about what it meant. It meant "self" and it was marked behind your ear from the Oni who were looking for a person possessed by a dark spirit.

Stiles whispered the word "self" aloud and a breeze flowed through the room rustling the leaves on the floor and turning the backwards five into a cloud of chalk dust that vanished as if it was never there at all.

* * *

Lydia looked around Stiles' elaborate murder board that was much more elaborate or cluttered since she was here a few days ago. She felt tense knowing Stiles was out there in the cold for whatever reason and she felt like she failed as a friend that she didn't see he was still struggling and he never fully shut his door. She also felt this other energy akin to something as ice cold dread with an immense pounding pressure in her head since entering Stiles' room as she looked at the photo of her cousin it simply got worse.

"So your cousin is a banshee?"

Lydia tilted her head and briefly glanced back at Aiden, who was looking above her at the picture of her cousin, she knew he was thinking there was no resemblance. She also knew he didn't hear what she heard, but he was being no help and was utterly distracting. "Yeah, Stiles and I believe so."

"And how exactly is she connected to the madness on the wall?"

That was a question Lydia was asking for a while now and no one knew the answer to that. Plus, breaching the subject to her mother about letting Gabriella stay with them was shortly becoming a sour subject as her mom believed it would stretch them as her dad has practically turned into a deadbeat only sending birthday cards with x amount of money. "We don't know exactly."

"Well don't you think you should ask her?" Aiden commented as he plucked on one of the strings.

Lydia snaps her attention to the strings that are held snugly on the scissors that are plunged into Stiles' bed. Lydia mimics Aiden's action of plucking the string when whispers come through.

"Uh…do you hear something?" Aiden asks.

Lydia leaned down closer to the string plucking it again making the whispers getting louder, "They're whispering…something about a house."

"What house?"

Lydia's eyes widen at the name. She walked away from the string and pointed to the picture on the wall, "That one."

"What's Eichen House?"

"A mental health center. It's where William Barrow, the shrapnel bomber, was committed. Also that is where my cousin is at."

"Is that it?"

"That's where he is. That's where Stiles is."

* * *

Despite their bodies being pressed together Stiles was sure they were getting colder. He could feel Gabriella's shallow breathing against his chest.

"Do…you know… who that was?" Gabriella asked Stiles. Stiles knew her body was shutting down just like his as it was falling into hypothermia.

"No…but I know that symbol."

Gabriella didn't get to reply as a raspy male voice began speaking Japanese getting closer to them.

"Who are you?" Stiles shouted, but the voice kept speaking Japanese. He felt Gabriella stiffen as the figure's voice became louder. "I don't… I don't understand."

"Not who are you, Stiles." The voice replied in a slight English accent, "Who are we? It's getting colder, Stiles. Did you notice that we've stopped shivering? Do you know why that's a bad sign?"

Stiles was going to answer, but Gabriella's meek voice replied, "It's the body trying to conserve energy."

"It's Hypothermia." Stiles finished, it was his fifth grade science report.

The figure began to come closer to them, "Our speech is starting to thicken. Then comes fatigue. Confusion. We're going to die if we don't get out of here."

"Stop saying that. Stop saying we," Stiles shouted his voice jostling Gabriella causing her to squeeze his hand as the movement jostled her leg.

"We're just trying to keep you from freezing to death," the man replied. "You two better get up."

"How? There's a freaking steel-jawed trap on our leg!" Stiles shouted his dam bursting as he felt Gabriella's hot tears soak his arm.

"Is there? Notice something different? It was on your right leg before, wasn't it?"

Gabriella and Stiles both whispered "No" as they took in the new positions of the jaw traps on their legs, but they weren't sure if they were even right.

"Are you sure?"

"What is this? What are you doing?" Stiles cried out and he and Gabriella both stiffened as the man with sharp metallic teeth is so close to them his breath fans across their skin.

"We're trying to save you, Stiles. We're trying to save both of your lives."

* * *

Lydia looked around at the empty basement of Eichen House no trace of Stiles ever being down there. She felt as if her powers were constantly letting her down as if she had no control over them and they might only be useful if they do indeed find Stiles lifeless body. She was just so sure he was down here. They all can clearly see the Sheriff's exterior crumbling with the dead end she just led them all too.

"I don't understand…this has to be it." Lydia exclaimed to the group. She could feel all their eyes on her she didn't even want to concentrate on what those eyes might be telling. The feeling she has was indicting they were in the right spot. Something did not make sense of this.

"Then where is he, huh? Where is he?" The Sheriff shouted.

Lydia couldn't help but flinch at his outburst, but the name rolled of her tongue. "Gabriella."

The Sheriff looked at her confused, "Your cousin?"

"If Stiles isn't here…she is…she must know or something," Lydia stammered out to the group and it only took a few seconds before the Sheriff ran back up the stores ordering the orderly helping them to locate Gabriella Martin.

* * *

Stiles arm was slick with Gabriella's wet tears and her blood. He could feel the liquid warm his arm that was held in a death grip by her hands as the man hovered around them like they were prey in a corner. He felt the terror rolling off Gabriella as she refused to even turn her head to look at the bandage man. The man's cloth covered hand reached out to touch Gabriella when Stiles snapped, "Don't touch her."

Stiles knew if they could see the man's facial features hidden beneath the dressings it would have been amused as the man's lips curved upwards and focused back on him, "Do you know any riddles, Stiles?"

Stiles was bemused at the question, but Gabriella popped her head up as if she recognized where this might be going, but he still answered, "A few."

The man turned towards Gabriella in interest again, "Our little Gabriella does too, don't you Gabi?"

Stiles felt Gabriella's body begin shaking with the attention draw back on her as she looked at the man, "Why are you doing this? What do you want?" She asked through her muffled sobs.

The man looked away from her and walked back to the wall where he drew the backwards 5, "What gets bigger the more you take away?"

Stiles' response was instantaneous even though he didn't understand the purpose of this, "A hole."

"What gets wetter the more it dries?"

"A towel."

"When is a door not a door?"

"When it's ajar," this time both he and Gabriella answered there full attention on the man. Stiles knew this had to do with his door. It was the warning his mind and Gabriella gave him.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?"

"I don't…" Stiles didn't know the answer and Gabriella seemed to didn't know it either.

The man walked away from the door and began to creep back to them, "Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?"

"I don't… I don't know." Stiles replied again.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it," The man said again harsher.

"We don't know." Gabriella cried out as the man was directly in their faces and began chanting Japanese angry.

Then it happened he heard the clanking of the chains and he felt Gabriella's weight being lifted off him as she screamed out for him and he tried to grab her hand or arm when his own trap was being dragged and he screamed out in agony, "No! No! No! No! No, wait! Gabriella! Wait! Wait!"

* * *

Marin was still sitting in the chair next to Gabriella when a nurse came into the room informing her that the Sheriff was demanding to see Gabriella Martin. Marin calmly got up from her chair and walked to the edge of Gabriella's bed where she laid still. Her body was deteriorating fast as it fell into hypothermia. None of the medical aid was helping her.

Marin walked into the hallway where she found the Sheriff along with Scott McCall, Lydia Martin, Isaac Lahey, and Aiden storming towards her. She saw the looks of shock and curiosity of her being there from the teenagers.

"How can I help you?" She asked evenly glancing at the entourage.

"We need to speak to your patient, Gabriella Martin," the Sheriff replied.

"I am afraid that is not possible at the moment. Gabriella is  _unresponsive_  right now."

"What does that mean?" Lydia asked hotly.

"I am afraid I can't discuss that with you, patient confidentiality, and you are not Gabriella's POA."

"Well can you at least answer this? Has Gabriella made any contact with my son, Stiles, he is missing?"

Marin looked at the Sheriff and the rest of the group, "I am pretty sure what has Gabriella falling into hypothermia is because of Stiles and wherever he may be located. I would suggest looking somewhere that has significance to Gabriella that Stiles has come across easily, rec-."

Morrell was cut off when a scream permeated from the room behind her causing all of them to cover their ears as various objects that held water burst throughout the infirmary.


	11. Sketches

Lydia Martin was currently looking at her unconscious cousin who was strapped to the bed by her wrists and ankles, wiping an escaped tear she could not believe she had been here for the last eight years of her life. She woke up to these horrors of this place hearing what she probably heard – the pain and death.

She cannot help but think about when she was in the hospital during sophomore year of course because of supernatural causes. Although when she woke up she had people who loved her waiting for her to open her eyes, but her cousin every time she was probably sent here she woke up alone no one there genuinely caring. Anger cruised through her veins at her own selfish nature back then. How she never inquired about her only cousin. Her thoughts were broken when she heard the clicking of heels approaching her; she scoffed when she saw it is Ms. Morrell who seemingly disappeared after the alpha pack was disbanded.

"I see you found your cousin." Ms. Morrell said as she looked at the sleeping Gabriella. Morrell expected Gabriella to sleep most of the day away although she knew it also depended on Stiles Stilinski. She believed Gabriella let a piece of Stiles' mind slip onto her own, which could lead to disastrous results. She already warned her brother especially after last night with how low and on the verge of death Gabriella got before she screamed.

"I want her released as soon as possible since you are her therapist I bet you can give her approval to leave."

Morrell was not at all surprised by Lydia's request, "I suspected you would request this, but are you sure right now is the best time for her to be released?"

"How is her being here helping her at all? She shouldn't be here."

"No, she doesn't belong here, but there is a lot of unknown factors you don't know Lydia. I think it is safe for her to be here till I deem it is acceptable for her to leave."

Lydia crossed her arms across her chest, "What is that supposed to mean? Did Gabriella tell you about her seeing Stiles?"

"Ever since your group of friends did that sacrifice your cousin has been acting peculiar. Have you read your cousins accident report?" Lydia shook her head no. It is an unspoken agreement between what is left of her family they do not talk about the car crash that killed her uncle. "Gabriella reported seeing yellow eyes that night, at first I thought werewolf," Morrell revealed to Lydia as she was at first so sure that it was a werewolf that attacked the Martin's car, but looking at the whole picture she knew it was something else, "but they don't have yellow eyes. It is more of a golden color. I went to the crash site looked at the car instead of claw marks the car had distinct markings of being puncture with a sword. Now what do you know that has yellow eyes and wields a sword?"

Realization dawned across Lydia's face and putting her hand behind her ear where a burned mark was, "The Oni," Lydia realized that Gabriella survived the crash, but not her dad, "so that would mean her dad – my uncle - was possessed."

Ms. Morrell gave her a smile for getting the answer right, "Exactly. Therefore, at first, I could not understand why her powers seem to be focused on Stiles, but I believe somehow she is connected to Stiles or the Nogitsune that may possess him since he possessed her dad last that I know of."

"But you don't know that for sure…"

"No…I don't, but I think you underestimate how rare you and your cousin especially essentially are. A Nogitsune could really appreciate a banshee at his side."

"My cousin isn't going to be a pawn in some game."

"Lydia, from the moment Stiles stepped into the metal tub Gabriella has been a game piece on the board."

* * *

 

Stiles was sitting on top of the MRI machine in the stark white hospital of Beacon Hills Memorial. He doesn't know if he feels rested after his latest stint where he had everyone worried. Stiles couldn't believe it himself that it was only him sleepwalking where he somehow got into the mangled Martin car in the embankment. He was lucky Scott's dad was able to deduce that he would be there from his and Scott's conversation.

That was why they were here in the MRI room. His symptoms were becoming worse and they mirrored his mother's and now they were looking for frontotemporal dementia. The same illness that killed his mother and the same illness that he probably could have inherited and could possibly kill him.

Stiles looked down at his clean hands and arms. Gabriella's weight felt so real. He could feel her impression on him from her breathing against him and how her tears burned his skin against the cold. He felt her terror. He felt her blood smear him as he felt the trap on his leg.

Stiles was brought out of his thoughts when Scott entered the room.

Stiles didn't know what to say to his friend or anybody. He wasn't used to everyone worrying about him. Although he was used to this feeling of always being the center of a problem, he was always a problem.

The two friends sat in the quiet. He knew the doctors and their parents were watching them. They all deduced that Stiles was inflicted with the same illness as his mother and the possibly of the supernatural being the cause of this was out of the question. When Stiles looked at his friend he felt the same burst of emotion bubble up in him when they were at the Glen Capri and Scott had dowsed himself in gasoline holding the flare. That feeling of despair was something he never wanted to feel again – that feeling of having no hope, but now he was feeling that again. Since his mother passed he tried to live that healthy lifestyle he research everything about the disease so he and especially his father wouldn't have to reopen the wound that still struggled to heal.

Stiles cleared his throat before he spoke, "How…How's Gabriella?"

Even though they were reluctant to tell him, his father finally broke down and told him how they went to Eichen House. How Lydia thought he was there and that they tried to go to Gabriella for answers, but she was stuck in her sleep and she was falling into hypothermia, but she woke up screaming no doubtingly when that bandaged man dragged her out of his arms and when Melissa was dragging him out of the mangled car. How when Melissa was dragging him out of the car he was repeatedly screaming her name.

Gabriella could have died because of him. If something were to have had happen to her he would feel that guilt swallow him up whole.

"Lydia is heading over there now, she said that Gabriella's vitals seem normal, but she is still tired she –"

"Still sleeping," Stiles finished for his friend.

"She will be okay, Stiles."

Stiles didn't have it in him to disagree. What was happening all around them – Gabriella – was his fault, she wasn't going to be okay until they found some type of connection to why she was in his head. Stiles looked back up to his friend and saw the trepidation in his face and features as he looked around the MRI room.

Stiles took a deep breath before he explained to his friend what they were looking for and when his friend promised him he would do something he didn't mention the fact his body could reject it or the fact he didn't want the bite to potentially save him.

* * *

 

Lydia accidentally slammed her purse and keys on the counter but she instantly regretted it as her ears were hypersensitive from loud objects colliding together. She tried driving around to drown out the noise but she still heard everything from car doors slamming to loud clicking of the street lights. Lydia really wanted to scream, but something was holding her back from it like her screaming now would be premature. It would give her the wrong message. Lydia went to grab water from the kitchen and was shocked to see her mother in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"Mom…you're making dinner?" Lydia commented questionably.

Her mother turned around and gave her a stiff smile, "Yes, I am. Believe it or not I am capable like I know you are capable of eating it with me. So no going out to do whatever you do at odd hours of the night."

Lydia furrowed her brows at her mother who seemed agitated and stressed as she stirred whatever was in the part harder as she spoke. "Is everything okay?" Lydia asked as she took a seat at the counter.

"I got a call from Marin Morrell, your former counselor; she called to inform me that she was informed we were looking into taking in Gabriella from Eichen House. I am confused on to how this is happening?"

"It is happening because Gabriella doesn't deserve to be in a mental health facility."

"But you don't get to decide that Lydia," her mother countered back. "We can't afford to take care of your schizophrenic cousin."

"She isn't crazy, mom." Lydia refuted hotly.

"Your grandmother put her in there for a reason and told us not to seek her out or visit. Lydia, there is too much trauma with Gabriella that we aren't equipped to handle."

"You mean you can't handle the past."

"Lydia you were young…you don't remember how bad it got especially with your grandmother…what she did to herself and tried to do to Gabriella…you just don't know."

"Gabriella is family mom…we are the only ones she has we shouldn't give up on her. I want her here." Lydia looked at her mother and she knew her mom couldn't really deny her because Lydia didn't really ask for anything. She watched as her mom sighed as she turned back to the stove.

"I will call Morrell…I will see what we can do."

* * *

 

Making the journey to Morrell's office, Gabriela did not even bother to knock on the doors and as she entered and took a seat in the chair in her office. "You summoned me?" Gabriella asked fatigue laced in her voice despite her sleeping close to twenty hours.

Morrell leaned back in her chair, "When a patient of mine falls asleep and is on the verge of hypothermia I think an immediate session needs to be had. How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

"When you were sleeping you had some visitors: the Sheriff, your cousin, Lydia, and some of her friends."

Gabriella perked up at Morrell's statement, "For what?"

"Before I tell you and depending on what happens in the next few days I am going to recommend that you be released from Eichen House."

"Really?" Gabriella asked incredulous she wasn't going to get to excited or hopeful about this.

"Of course there are some conditions to this. I am going to need to know everything no more holding back. Stiles was missing the other night and the Sheriff came here looking for him. Lydia led them here, but it turned out he wasn't here and you were there next stop for answers. I need you to fill in the blanks, Gabriella."

Gabriella felt a phantom chill crawl up her body thinking about that dream with Stiles. The steel jaw traps, that man, and the riddles. "I was stuck in a dream with Stiles…we were in some type of basement…it was cold and then this bandage man came and started shouting riddles at us. The man he knew me though." Gabriella recalled to Morrell. She could feel that man's breath on her cold cheeks and Stiles firm body against her back as he tensed in fear like her.

Morrell simply nodded her head as she slid five papers across the desk and Gabriella quickly snatched it up and began reading it.

_At night I come without being fetched, at day I am gone without being stolen._

_Each morning I appear to lie at your feet, all day I will follow No matter how fast you run, yet I nearly perish in the midday sun._

_There is something that is nothing, but it has a name. It joins our walks; it joins our talks; it plays in every game. What is it?_

_There is a thing which nothing is, yet it has a name, It's sometimes tall' and sometimes short, It tumbles when we fall It plays our games_

_I'm your follower in the light, Yet I'm invisible in the night At various sizes I appear I won't harm you, have no fear What am I?_

_Everyone has it but no one can lose it._

_Some try to hide, some try to cheat, but time will show, we always will meet. Try as you might, to guess my name, I promise you'll know, when you I do claim._

Gabriella instantly recognized the one riddle the man got angry over they couldn't answer, but she was confused as to why she was reading this, but then she saw the heading on the first page. It was her and it was supposed to be an English assignment. "What is this?" Gabriella asked putting the papers back onto the desk.

Morrell gathered the papers and set them aside, "It was an English assignment you handed in to your teacher. You wrote riddles, Gabriella, and from your expression I take it you don't remember writing this or even know what the answers to these are." Gabriella shook her head no. "To the first five the answer is shadow, but the last one is death. It is time to stop deflecting or evading my questions or the truth of what happened that night, Gabriella."

Morrell dug out one more paper and set it in front of her.

Gabriella leaned up to look at the paper; it was a drawing of something she hoped to never see again. She knew it was her drawing by the distinct marker of her initials at the corner of the page. She was not even sure when she drew the subjects that are detailed with the use of charcoal her favorite medium to use when drawing. She remembered everything that night of her car crash she just realized it made her look crazy no one believed her. She remembered her dad rushing her to get into their car telling her to hurry up and don't start screaming as she was waking up every night in a screaming fit leaving her throat raw and sore. She remembered looking in the back of the car and there was no type of luggage for wherever they were heading. Staying quiet in the car she recalled seeing figures trying to form in the shadows of the night before looking into the glow of yellow eyes before the yield of multiple swords struck their car causing her to scream. She remembered the fearful look in her dad's eyes but it was also mixed with a look of anger before he slammed the breaks causing the car to swerve before tipping over completely tumbling into the deep ravine. She can still hear her dad screaming and yelling before the yellow eyes were back kneeling before her putting a hand behind her ear. The coldness was all she remembered before slowly closing her eyes succumbing to the cold faintly seeing her dad being dragged out of the car. When she told her grandmother the next week she was here for appointments not fully committed yet as she was first an unwilling test subject, The Belmont Report wasn't helpful to her at all.

Looking at the charcoal drawn picture she drew a figured dressed in all black wearing samurai type clothing with a mask with a sinister smile prominent on it with yellow eyes and a sword slashing through a firefly also glowing yellow. An image she thought she had locked down in her subconscious. Gabriella recalled all that to Morrell and how she was scared that whatever haunted her dad was in Stiles.

Then she heard the loud squeak of Morrell's chair in her ears causing her to wince. The ticking of the clock amplifying in her ears on a supersonic level. She could hear various doors slamming and pens tapping along with the rolling of med carts.

She heard Morrell's chair roll across the linoleum floor. Gabriella didn't realize she was kneeling on the ground as she clutched her ears as they became increasingly oversensitive in the matter of seconds.

She vaguely heard Morrell ask her something, but it sounded as if she was emerged in water. Gabriella focused on the coffee cup on Morrell's desk as she quickly knocked the glass cup off her desk her scream replacing the sound of shattering glass.

* * *

 

The Nogitsune walked down the hospital hallway that seemed to be in frenzy due to the power surge. He could admit it was rather difficult in getting full control of this new and young host although he did enjoy the taste of his pain when he took away the boy's hope in believing he had the same disease as his mother. It seemed his favorite little banshee warnings weren't effective enough. He was making his way down the hallway to the elevator when it opened revealing an older woman, but he knew her face anywhere despite the age taking its toll.

"You know me." Noshiko Yukimura said from her stand in the elevator. The Nogitsune simply tilted his head in recognition, "Then you remember that I won't be deterred by your choice of host from trying to possess a banshee, the daughter of a former host, or now an innocent boy."

"Are you threatening us?" He asked simply amused.

The Nogitsune watched as two Oni emerged from the darkness flanking her as she responded; "Now I'm threatening you."

"Did you think a glass jar would be able to contain me again? Three sacrifices are stronger than one. We're not really afraid of your little fireflies."

"If the Oni can't defeat you, I know someone who will."

The Nogitsune simply smiled in response as he walked down the dark hospital hallway.


	12. Roots

"Scott, I think you have to bite him."

Isaac's statement whirled around in Scott's head as he looked at the severely burned teenage boy in the parking lot of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Scott still was having a hard time grasping that his friend might have done this or was possessed this whole time. Scott knew he didn't take Stiles seriously when he told him about the key and how he might have been the one to give Barrow the code to kill Kira.

Scott knew he was blinded by the fact all of them seemed to be doing okay and he thought Stiles just exhausted himself out worrying about Barrow and Gabriella.

Scott should have taken it more seriously considering the darkness that surrounded their hearts, but he didn't. There was a whole entity inside his best friend and he didn't even know. He couldn't even tell the difference. He should have known when he found Stiles in that empty surgery room standing there in a daze. He should have known since Stiles was the only one that they knew of who hadn't had an encounter with the Oni.

Scott turned his attention back to the boy on the ground as his heart beat was low compared to the ones of Isaac and Allison's.

Isaac and Allison were the ones to find the boy unconscious after Kira absorbed the electricity of the live wire that was cut by the dark fox possessing his best friend.

"Scott, the bite could heal him."

Scott turned to Derek. Scott had a gut feeling if Derek's eyes were still red he would turn this boy whose name they didn't even know. Plus all three of the werewolves could smell the scent of the singed flesh more than Allison could and they could hear his slow beating heart better than she could barely feel from her head on his chest and from trying to feel for his breath.

Scott wanted to refuse to bite this innocent boy. Despite him trying to accept his role as a True Alpha and being a leader he still had doubts how this bite he unwillingly received from Peter was a gift despite what the special abilities may be.

Did he want to extend what was essentially a curse onto another unwilling victim?

A part of him knew though he had to bite this teenage boy. They – him, Allison, and Stiles - brought this dark spirit into Beacon Hills by performing that sacrifice. The Nogitsune may not be possessing him personally, but it feels like he could be by taking the shape of his best friend.

"Scott, if you are going to do it you may have to do it now before his pulse becomes weaker and we call for the paramedics." Allison's rushed and panic voice said breaking his internal turmoil.

Scott knelt down onto the soiled ground as he took in the appearance of the boy. The boy had to be only a freshman he didn't seem a day older and Scott couldn't recall seeing him in any of their classes or even around campus.

Scott wondered what happened after he bit this boy. Was he really ready for this responsibility of having his own beta personally bitten by him? What if this boy couldn't handle the full moons and the primal instincts of an animal? What if he simply ruins this boy's life by biting him?

What happens if his body rejects the bite? He would have to live with the image of black blood oozing out of this boy's injured body ruining it more. The bite might kill him before his wounds could even get the chance too.

Scott grabbed the boy's arm and pulled back the sleeve of his hoodie. The scent of burning flesh filled his nostrils as he thought about the scent Stiles emitted on the hospital rooftop when he was fighting whatever was in him to not cause this. He was trying to protect them somehow. Then that fear – that worry – for his best friend turned into anger as his eyes flashed red and he bit the flesh of the boy who only released a grunt in response.

Scott watched as the nurses including his mom took the young boy away.

The bite might save him.

Derek said his body didn't immediately reject it so he may have a chance. He told him it may not feel like it, but Scott really did save the boy's life. He saved him from an immature death, future heart problems, skin grafts, and mental and physical pain.

Scott couldn't think of the positives at the moment as he looked down at the boys fallen school student identification card proudly displaying the boy was a freshman and his name: Liam Dunbar.

* * *

Marin was not even trying to hide her loud trek through the woods as she reached the embankment that held a mangled car with a bright green plant growing from it freely, its appearance similar to moss. That was where she found her older brother on the ground cutting it from the roots and filling a glass jar with them.

"Poisoning him isn't going to stop him – only offend him," she said aloud to her brother as she stepped behind him as he continued cutting the Lichen freely. She knew her brother would try to do anything to save Scott McCall's pack even when the odds were not in their favor.

She knew the Nogitsune had found a host in Stiles the underestimated human in the pack. She wasn't for killing teenagers, but they were dealing with an extremely dark spirit and she wasn't that confident in Scott's ability to save his friend since she believed the only way to save Stiles was to kill the host to let the Oni do its job. Although if her brother would have told the unsuspecting pack sooner about the fox hiding inside a teenage boy they could have been more prepared.

"How is Gabriella doing?" Deaton asked as he felt his sister's judgmental eyes on him. He had to give it to his sister she was skilled in making sure she stayed alive. She didn't make any permanent allegiances with packs. She evolved to survive; at least he didn't have to worry about her too much.

"My patient has been calm for the past 48 hours."

"Since Stiles went missing from the hospital." Deaton said pointing out the obvious fact.

"Ever since the sacrifice Gabriella's sleep pattern and behavior have been erratic. Now she is quiet and compliant."

"All her behaviors have been a warning," Deaton commented as he closed his glass jar full of wolf lichen and turned to face his sister. "Do you think he will be coming for her?"

"Eventually," Marin said as she looked at her brother, "We won't be able to stop him if he comes after her."

"We can try. Scott can try."

"I'm not leaving my patient's life in the hands of a seventeen year old boy."

"You know you should have more faith in them considering what they all have persevered against, plus I am the one that suggested the sacrifice. I didn't know Gabriella would have been affected by this. You never fully explained how though."

Marin gave her brother a small smile as he tried to fish information out of her. She wasn't purposely withholding information from her brother, but she wasn't the Druid to Scott's pack. She had no fidelity to him or his friends. Right, now her only duty was to make sure her patient didn't wind up in the hands or mind of a thousand year old fox. This was her just maintaining the balance and she knew the fox did not want Gabriella for supernatural advantage, but personal ones.

"Did any of you fully read the accident report?" Marin asked rhetorically and she was surprised Deaton didn't find the connection earlier. It was always the little details that connected the dots together. "With the blood loss and the cold temperature on that night, Gabriella should have perished in that crash." Morrell walked closer to the mangled car she paid attention to the marks of the Oni that attacked the car. "Gabriella wasn't found at the crash site." She informed as she pictured an eight-year-old Gabriella crawling out the car only to be met with yellow eyes.

"The Nemeton."

Marin nodded her head, "She crawled to the tree stump not knowing the power behind it just like those teenagers you are so eager to help."

"Her powers are connected to water – liquid – that's why she and Stiles are essentially bonded."

"Her blood stained that jar Stiles opened."

* * *

Lydia understood Allison's concerns fully about her seeking out Peter's help in aiding her with her abilities, but he was the only one they had who seemed to know how to help her. After her colossal failure with Stiles, she couldn't handle throwing the pack in the wrong direction when this time it could seriously lead to death. So also thought he would know why after she heard a piercing scream in her ears the night of the Oni attack for them to bleed although she knew that scream she heard was her cousin's. So, she had to make a deal with the devil so to speak and she knew he would want something in return so that was why she brought her best friend as reinforcement as her protector.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Allison quipped as she opened to the door to find Peter standing by Derek's floor to ceiling windows with his signature smirk on his face.

"The hunter and the banshee."

...

Lydia can still hear Talia's voice in her ears. To Lydia everything seemed to come at a full circle now with what Talia told her. Lydia never was one to believe in fate, but it was kind of hard not too when there were such things as werewolves, banshees, kitsunes, and Darachs roaming around the earth.

Lydia could feel Allison's curious eyes on her as they drove further away from Derek's loft away from Peter.

Lydia knew she had to tell her friend what she meant when she told Peter about him not just being an uncle. Lydia at first needed to catch up on the revelation that was still being whispered in her ears herself. She knew it could be possible now that she had cleared the fog from her eyes about her family and how she found herself to be thinking about her cousin, grandmother, and family in general more. Her family had a vault of secrets because of what they believed to be the eccentric and erratic behavior of her grandmother that split the family apart although it couldn't be blamed on her grandmother anymore, and technically her Uncle's accident wasn't the catalyst for the divide it went back to her missing aunt she never seen or heard only mentioned in passing in the heat of an argument her parents thought she didn't hear.

Lydia watched as night falls in Beacon Hills. The darkness enclosing around all of them in ways they never could have possibly imagined.

"My Uncle Ashton, Gabriella's dad, showed up out of the blue one day with a baby…that's how my mom describe the arrival of Gabriella. My dad would always make a comment how Gabriella looked so much like his sister. Even though I was young I could still feel and see that awkward tension…the unspoken words that were passing through the adults." Lydia started to explain to Allison who was listening to her intently. "I had an aunt who disappeared when she was a teenager…right before she graduated senior year of high school, Gemma Martin. No one heard of her since she went missing until she showed up almost nine months later on my uncle's doorsteps asking him to take her baby on as her own. Ashton wasn't Gabriella's father, Peter is."

* * *

Gabriella was in her room with her knees drawn up and had her chin resting on her knees as she watched rain splash the window. She felt weird and it didn't have anything to do with her session with Morrell where she finally talked about that night.

The night she now understood was from predicting the fox that was hiding inside her father death. She still doesn't understand exactly how her father became possessed she speculated it had something to do with her birth mother who was simply a figment of imagination.

Gabriella never had that craving – or ache – for a mother's love or affection. She was fine with having her dad being the only parental figure in her life.

With her gift, you would assume that she didn't like the rain, but using the rain was soothing. It didn't really cry or scream out of agony it was more of loved ones wanting to pass messages of hope along. Tonight though there was no voice leaking through the cracks. It was quiet as if everyone was asleep.

She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but she knew one person was fully awake besides her.

"A slow, solemn square-dance of warriors feinting…One by one they fall, Warriors fainting, Thirty-two on sixty-four…what is it?" Meredith asked in sync with the rain droplets hitting the class window that separated them from freedom.

Gabriella didn't even hesitate to answer the riddle, "A game of chess."


	13. Echoes

Gabriella was in Morrell's office for another impromptu meeting. She didn't know if it was because of her behavior from the last few days, the last dream with Stiles, or because she was approved to go home in 72 hours. She was going home to live with her cousin, Lydia, and her mom, Natalie. She wanted the details of how this possibly happened but at the same time she didn't. Morrell tried to get her to talk about the future transition. A part of her didn't want to leave because she would be leaving Meredith behind, but she was happy to have her freedom back experience the real world. But it was a scary prospect because it wasn't as if she was normal she was a supernatural being and she was involved in this supernatural world. She wouldn't really have time to worry about prom she suspected.

Gabriella was focusing on the setting sun as it dimmed the sky, the streets, Beacon Hills, and Morrell's office. Unlike last night with the quiet rain that didn't have any messages tonight the rain was crying and they were scared and they were **warning** her.

Eichen's energy was different it was more scared and it was turning darker, but she could tell the voices were trying to run, but they couldn't because they were trapped in their torment. She had that chilling sensation continually sliding down her spine like ice as her throat wanted her to release the scream she was desperately holding back because she knew what was going to happen tonight.

Just like how she felt Morrell was transitioning from being her therapist to something different to someone as a coach in teaching her a new strategy a new game.

"Do you feel it? The atmosphere changing and waiting for its new and temporary occupant to arrive," Morrell asked her shattering the silence.

Gabriella flicked her gaze back to Morrell the question rolled off her tongue before she could even stop herself, "What are you doing?"

Morrell simply gave her a blank stare, "I am telling you the rules to the game."

Gabriella was walking back to her room when her body tensed as if she was submerged in ice cold water. Her lungs were expelled of oxygen as if someone knocked the wind out of her. Gabriella was leaning against the wall trying to ignore the sensation that was overtaking her body like a fever when she turned her head left at the sound of footsteps and Mrs. Watson, a head orderly, voice echoing through the hallway explaining to someone the rules and regulations. As they passed her view she took a quick observation of the boy with brown hair boy around her age the sensation in her body made it hard for her to really focus on his face but she noticed him stop to look at her as she closed her eyes and turned the corner, she thought she heard him softly say her name. She was leaning against the wall waiting for the chilling impression to pass her body when a hand attached to her shoulder caused her to jump and squeak. She turned around to only find Meredith looking at her wide eyed.

"He's here did you see him."

"Whose here?" Gabriella asked closing her eyes as she willed her heart to return to its normal beating.

"He is here; you need to tell him the whole story. They do not know the whole story." Meredith said whispering.

Before Gabriella could make a remark a male voice shouting started to echo through the halls turning around the corner abandoning Meredith she reached the stairwell as the site of feet fall into her line of vision and the scream she was holding in at the Morrell's office is released from her throat.

* * *

"Hey, wait, wait, wait!" Stiles called out to the orderly that just locked him into his room after not being able to convince her to let him have a phone call after the suicide that just occurred.

"I'm Oliver." His roommate called out from the bed who was strapped in the five-point restraint system the orderly Watson who escorted Stiles just threatened to use on him.

"Stiles," He answered back still looking at the door, and thinking that being here in Eichen House was now a bad idea.

"There was a suicide, huh? Is it Monday? There's a much higher rate of suicide on Mondays." Oliver stated matter of factly from his bed.

Stiles spared a glance at his peculiar roommate whose current topic of trying to initiate conversation with does not help how he was feeling about staying here, "Okay then." Stiles went back to shouting through the door, "Um, hey, can someone. Someone just please let me out of here. Someone. Anyone." He called out knowing nobody will do anything if anyone is even listening.

Oliver used to the behavior of new residents; he knew Stiles was freaked out by the suicide, "I heard it by the way. It happened in the stairwell, right?"

Stiles took a step away from the door and moved to his temporary bed taking a seat on the edge looked at Oliver, "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

Oliver titled his head slightly towards Stiles, "I heard the echo."

"What do you mean?"

"It's this place. Something about the way that it was built…everything echoes… eventually. That's why they call it Echo House. Plus I think we all heard Gabriella's scream." Oliver said looking back up at the ceiling.

That little bit of information caught Stiles' attention he did hear a girl screaming but he was focused on the Nogitsune that was lurking in the crowd of people. It was not if he forgot about her presence in this place as when he was receiving a mini tour he believed the girl he saw leaning against the wall was her, but seeing someone commit suicide makes you focus on other things, "Gabriella Martin?" He asked to clarify.

"Yeah and when she screams it means death has arrived."

After that Stiles did not ask any more questions and Oliver didn't try and make any conversation. Stiles looked out the window and he noticed Oliver eventually did fall asleep. Stiles mind was racing with trying to find a way to figure out how to get rid of the Nogitsune, and try to talk to Gabriella since she obviously was linked to all of what is going on somehow. He could somewhat admit through his storm of emotions that he was nervous to be meeting her in person. He was nervous about how them meeting could change the rules to the game they were playing.

...

Eventually the rising sun illuminated the room causing Oliver to wake up who looked over at Stiles noticing he was in the same position on his bed before he fell asleep, "Have you been awake all night?"

Stiles broke his gaze out of the window and his thoughts about Gabriella and his life, "Yeah, I can't sleep without my pillow." Oliver then started a nasty coughing fit, "You okay?"

"I swallowed a bug the other day. You ever do that? I keep coughing. Like it's still in my throat." Oliver said after another fit of coughing.

"That's disgusting, Oliver." Stiles deadpanned. Turning his head to look at the locked doors waiting to get out to at least find Gabriella and a way out. He asked, "You don't have any idea when they unlock the doors, do you?"

As soon as Stiles asked this, the clicks of the locks echoed in the room from being unlocked, Oliver lifted his head up from his pillow, "Now."

...

Oliver was giving Stiles a tour with a synopsis about the people in Eichen House while he led Stiles to the phones located in the courtyard since breakfast Stiles had been waiting for their recess, "Most of the people here are okay. The violent ones are in the closed unit." Oliver pointed to a girl sitting on a bench with wild hair, "That's Hillary, she has OCD." He then pointed to a kid being escorted with an orderly, "That's Gary. He thinks he's Jesus Christ." They walk past a kid with long brown hair leaning against a column, "Dan. Also Jesus." As they passed a girl sitting alone looking as if she was praying, "That's Mary"

Stiles putting together the religious theme of names going on offered, "Let me guess, Mary Magdalene?"

"No, she also thinks she's Jesus. You'd be surprised how many Jesuses we get." Oliver said as they waited for a phone to become available.

Stiles, who was not really paying to Oliver, but his surroundings as a whole, replied, "Not really."

Both of them reaching the phone booth, but having to wait until a girl ends her call, "Hey, how come you want to use the phone already?" Oliver asked.

Stiles looked at his apparent _friend_ dumbfounded at the question, " 'Cause after one night, I've changed my mind about this place being safe for me. Or anyone. Ever."

Stiles attention shifted to the girl on the phone when the girl's voice broke his concentration by the worry laced in her voice, "No. No, I think you're wrong. I really think I should tell them. They're going to want to know the story. The whole story." This statement gained Stiles full attention and now he was listening to her conversation, "I really think they should know. Yes, I do. One of them is standing right behind me. I am going to tell him." The girl said as she slammed the phone on the hook and looked at him with wide doe eyes, "Gabriella is by the flowers…she has been waiting for you." She informed him as she pointed to a girl who was walking with flowers in her hand and giving them to various residents as they placed them behind their ears.

Stiles squinted his eyes at Gabriella, who gave her last flower away, and walked behind a tree. Stiles feet moved at on their own accord as he walked towards her behind the tree.

Stiles reached the tree where he found Gabriella kneeling as she plucked dandelions from the grass. Her long brown hair was down covering her face, but just by her frame he would be able to spot her a mile away. Stiles felt his throat go dry as he tried to swallow the nervous lump in his throat. He clamped his sweaty palms together as he found his voice, "Gabi?"

Immediately her head whipped in his direction. At first he saw confusion in her eyes at the site of him before they widened in recognition and she stood at her height her task of gathering dandelions forgotten as she asked, "Stiles?"

He gave her an awkward wave of confirmation before he was bombarded by her arms as they wrapped around him tightly as they did in the dream where they were locked in the school and just as quickly her weight and warmth went away, but her blues eyes twinkled along with the smile on her face, "Oh my god…I can't believe this is happening…god I was so worried…are you okay."

"Honestly, I don't know…not really." Stiles admitted truthfully.

"Well a suicide on your first night here…not really a warm welcoming on top of it."

"Yeah…I was trying to use the phones –" Stiles started but Gabriella cut him off.

"That is completely pointless. They turn off all the phones for 24 hours after a suicide."

Stiles let out a huff of annoyance, "Of course they do. I wish my roommate would have just told me that."

"Who's your roommate?" She asked.

"Oliver," he informed her.

"Ahh…he probably just wants to talk to you. He is one of the more social people here, but I don't see him that much as Meredith does."

Stiles quirked his brows as he spoke, "Meredith the one who was talking to imaginary people on the phone and pointed you out to me."

Gabriella slightly narrowed her eyes in defense of her friend, "That's my friend and roommate and she wasn't talking to imaginary people she just like me hears things on a different frequency than most."

"Like a banshee," Stiles muttered.

"It apparently runs in the family," she quipped as she grabbed a discarded dandelion from the ground and twirled it in her fingers as she pursed her lips in thought.

He knew they both had so much to say to each other about this situation, but they both didn't know how to breach it.

Gabriella's sapphire eyes squinted at Stiles; he could admit they looked brighter in person than in his dreams, "Why are you here Stiles?"

"Because I don't want to hurt anymore people."

She tilted her head to the side as she regarded his answer, "But it isn't you Stiles…"

"But it is." He was the one who caused the power surge at the hospital that made Scott have to bite an innocent boy to save his life. His hands were the ones that set the booby trap that caused an arrow to be shot into coach's stomach. He was the one that blew up the Sheriff's station it was his hands that did all that stuff and if he was strong enough he should have been able to take control of his body. He was the one who twisted that knife in his friend's stomach.

"Hey," Stiles tensed momentarily at Gabriella who placed a hand on his arm and he was reminded of the dream a few days ago how her blood invaded his senses and stuck to his skin, "that dream we shared together with that man…it was here."

"What?" Stiles asked confused.

"The room with the boilers it was here…it was in the basement."

"We have to get to that basement."

They both jumped as a whistle was blow and the head attendant beckoning kids in. "Okay, we can talk after group," Gabriella told him before she led him back to the main building for group.

* * *

Stiles slid down his shirt after Morrell walked away from him as she examined the red lines on his back that were traveling up his neck. He was still trying to get over that this was where Ms. Morrell disappeared to after the disbandment of the Alpha Pack, "It's called a Lichtenberg figure. They appear on lightning strike victims. The fact that they're appearing on you after a shot of Wolf Lichen is both significant and strange."

Stiles turned around to face her as she went in her cabinet, "By significant and strange do you mean hopeful and optimistic?"

"When the marks fade, the Nogitsune's grip over you will return." She informed him as she handed him a prescription bottle.

"What are these?" Stiles asked as he accepted the bottle, "Sleeping pills?"

"Amphetamines," she informed him as she leaned back against her desk. "Sleeping is exactly what you don't want to do. You're vulnerable when you're asleep."

"So all I have to do is stay awake?"

"For now. If your friends haven't figured out something by the time those marks are gone, I'll come find you."

"To tell me what to do?" He asked as she seemed reluctant to really say anything.

"No, to give you an injection," she said as she held up a bottle he didn't even notice she had, "Pancuronium Bromide. It causes respiratory paralysis."

"That sounds a lot like death." Stiles stated bluntly and he seriously questioned how Deaton and Morrell were even related.

"It's used for lethal injection, yes."

"So when the Nogitsune takes over, you're going to kill me?"

"I'm going to do what I've always done. Maintain the balance. You're not the only one the Nogitsune wants Stiles."

Stiles furrowed his brows but realization dawned on him, "Gabriella? You're protecting her from me?"

"From what's inside you."

"Okay then," Stiles simply nodded his head as he turned to leave the room. "I've missed our talks. Thanks for the illicit drugs."

"Stiles," Morrell called out to him making him pause as she warned him, "Stay awake."

As soon as Stiles left Morrell's office he immediately spotted Gabriella sitting in one of the benches across the hall. Gabriella immediately got up from her perch and he could immediately tell she wanted to ask if he was okay, but he could still feel Morrell's stare on him and her warning so before Gabriella could speak where there were curious ears he asked her where was the closest bathroom.

Gabriella looked at him confused before she began to lead them there in silence. Stiles didn't notice it before but maybe the connection he felt with Gabriella wasn't from him, but the fox hiding in him. He knew Banshees in a sense were valuable to the supernatural world as they seemed to have various powers. Thinking about it he didn't know if he was upset that the connection wasn't based on just him and at the same time he couldn't stop his mind from flashing images of his hands coated in blood – Gabriella's blood.

When they reached the door, Stiles made his way into the bathroom but he noticed Gabriella wasn't following him in and he grabbed her hand dragging her in with him.

Stiles immediately walked over to the sink and turned on the water as he set the plastic pill bottle on the ledge that was immediately picked up by Gabriella, "Amphetamines?"

"Yeah. Our lovely therapist Ms. Morrell gave them to me. I need to stay awake." He said taking the bottle out of her hands.

"What about lightning flower on your neck?"

"When they fade it means we are in trouble."

"You mean the Nogitsune is back with vengeance for trying to kick him out…was it that night when he got control?"

Stiles didn't reply as he swallowed the pills down his throat. He didn't want to admit something that was so obvious. He knew the trick with him thinking he had his mother's disease was a way to kill him to take away his hope and he let him in. So he wondered what the next trick was going to be when the grip tightened around his neck. Stiles swallowed down the tap water as he looked at Gabriella who was watching him curiously.

He still hadn't grasped the fact he was seeing Gabriella in the flesh. That this all wasn't a dream and he was scared the Nogitsune forcing him here was a trap and it was possibly to get to her. "We need to get to that basement."

"Well um…Brunski I think has the keys…if you can somehow pull a trick on him to get him that would be our best shot." Gabriella said as she leaned against the sink looking out in the cold and dim bathroom.

Stiles spoke somberly, "Well, a part of me, is getting good at playing tricks."

* * *

"You are expected to be released in two days and you are being written up for a physical altercation that is highly unlike you. Do you care to explain?" Morrell asked Gabriella as they were in her office.

Gabriella wouldn't necessarily call it a physical altercation as Oliver was the one to have her pinned to the ground and it wasn't as if Morrell didn't already know that the altercation was a decoy for Brunski. It wasn't as if Gabriella was a saint and didn't learn how to pick up little tricks here and there like pocketing keys.

Gabriella was just confused now though because Morrell was essentially right last night about how the house was changing. Gabriella even felt weird as if she was just a pawn in something. She felt Morrell knew more about why she seemed to be important in this why she was connected to Stiles.

"I want to know why I appeared in Stiles dreams and why I am connected to all this."

"The Nemeton," Morrell stated simply.

"What?"

"Gabriella when you were in that car crash you should have died that night, but you managed to crawl out that car and into those woods and to the Nemeton giving it power and the power to save you. Stiles and his friends were surrogate sacrifices for their parents and it jumpstarted the Nemeton even more and unleashed the fox that resided in your father and that has latched onto Stiles. Your blood stained the jar that contained it and your powers latched onto it." Gabriella blinked her eyes as this was the most forthright Morrell has even been in their sessions.

"So I'm not really connected to Stiles…I am connected to the thing inside him," Gabriella concluded. To her it made sense she would be connected to something that loved chaos loved the emotions that came with it. She was surrounded with death and what greater prize would it be for an agent of chaos to have.

"It may appear so," Morrell agreed before she continued, "I wouldn't get too attached to Stiles, Gabriella."

"Why because you plan to kill him if he falls asleep?" Gabriella asked hotly.

Morrell gave her a stiff smile in return, but didn't confirm or deny the allegation, "Why did you need Brunski's keys? Let's start there."

Gabriella released an annoyed breath, "We need to get into the basement…that night we were trapped in that dream we were here in the basement. Stiles thinks something important could be down there."

"Or more like a trap," Morrell added on.

Gabriella couldn't disagree because she knew every dream of theirs have been warnings to an event to something else. That's when Gabriella was hit with that chilling sensation from last night because of Stiles arrival. The feeling made her back arch off the chair as if she got pinched or even pushed. She heard Morrell ask her something probably if she was okay, but Gabriella tuned her out as the sound of a power drill filled her head. She felt the proverbial pounding in her skull as her mind screamed in agony. Gabriella looked for that source of liquid transmitting the pain. She became used to this treatment borderline torture from Morrell who always had an open source of water in the room.

She was lucky she didn't have to scream, Gabriella was on her knees as her fingertips rubbed her head as if she had a migraine when she felt Morrell and when she looked at her she had the small cup of water in her hand as she kneeled down to Gabriella's level.

"What are they telling you?"

Gabriella felt her fingernails scrap the linoleum floor she was sure if she applied more pressures her fingernails would have broken off as she tried to concentrate when Morrell began dripping the water on the floor. She didn't know why her powers were back at the novice level. She knew how to control this simple mundane task of honing in on the message to drown out the noise without having to officially scream.

The water kept dripping as the splash turned into smacks against the locker the voices were no longer submerged in the water as she slapped her hand on the water creating a puddle on the floor as she looked up at Morrell. "Its Stiles…he's sleeping and the Nogitsune wants in."

Morrell produced a key and held it up in front of Gabriella, "This is the key to unlock Stiles out of isolation. You can get to the basement through the closed unit."

...

Reaching the solitary department was an easy task for Gabriella as since Stiles did his sacrifice she became fairly acquainted with the area. It also helped that the orderlies didn't see any priority of stalking this section so it was easy for her to basically walk down the hallway without having to hide although as soon as she turned to the corner of the rooms she heard the echoes of someone screaming, Stiles screaming. Checking all the windows to the doors to the rooms, she was finally able to locate him screaming on the floor. Taking the key out she put it in the lock when she nearly jumped out of her skin when hearing a louder cry of desperation come out of Stiles room. She unlocked the door and immediately rushed in front of him, she began yelling his name trying to get him wake, but he seemed to be deep in the nightmare, when out of nowhere he jumped up opening his eyes screaming.

Gabriella seeing the terror on his face and in his eyes, taking his face in-between her hands stroked his cheeks, "Hey, hey, shh, shh, it's alright. You're awake," she said soothingly to him.

Stiles whose eyes are wide eyeing the room hoping he was not dreaming took in his surroundings realizing he was up. He brought his attention to Gabriella who was softly soothing him by whispering sweet nothings at him and running her hands through his hair, but he realized she would not be able to get in here without a key, "How did you get in here?"

Gabriella blue eyes looking at his brown ones replied, "Morrell gave me the key."

"So she can be helpful," he quipped.

"Yeah and she told me how to get to the basement."

...

Stiles and Gabriella had made their way through the true closed unit where their ears were met with agony and pain and he suspected Gabriella probably experienced it more than him. Now they were standing in of the door to the room that contained them in a nightmare – their last nightmare they had together. He knew both of them had apprehensions of what exactly this would mean for them what the domino effect was going to be.

"You okay?" Stiles asked before he made a move to open the door.

Gabriella took a deep breath before she looked at him, "Are you sure you want to go down there? I mean what if this is another trick?"

"Hey, you don't have to go down with me." Stiles told her softly.

"N-no… you shouldn't go down there by yourself." Gabriella said as she opened the door and they were welcomed with the sight of multiple boilers. Gabriella thought she felt the ache in her leg from that jaw steel trap. As they got further in the room, the room was replaced with boilers and there was a couch with multiple boxes surrounding it. "So what are we looking for?"

Stiles walked pasted her and past more boilers, to the craving on the wall, his finger traced the backwards five remembering where the Nogitsune was drawing it in his dream, "Something to do with this."

Gabriella looked at the symbol and on reflex puts her hand to the back of her ear which Stiles noticed, "What is it?" He asked stepping forward to her.

"It's nothing. We should start looking through these boxes, maybe we will find a picture of a guy in a bomber jacket," Gabriella said as she grabbed a box stacked on top of a pile next to her.

Gabriella and Stiles skimmed the papers about Eichen House's history in silence for about ten minutes when Gabriella threw a bunch of papers on the floor, "Well I am not finding anything interesting besides they use to perform electroshock, ice baths, and trepanation."

"Well they did used to do that stuff here according to Oliver."

"Well I wouldn't be surprised." Gabriella also knew they did a whole lot of other things in this place too. "So are we going to talk about it?" Gabriella asked as she looked at Stiles who still held the trepanation papers in his hands.

Stiles knew what she was talking about their connection because of him letting the Nogitsune possess him. "I just don't understand the how." He didn't need the whole backstory of the car crash and from just all the facts and evidence in front of him it didn't take long to connect her dad was possessed.

Gabriella scooted closer to him and tilted her head to the side so he could get a good look behind her ear and there was the kanji sign imprinted in her skin. "The Nogitsune possessed my dad and no one knows how or why." She stated as she covered her ear back up with her hair. "Morrell told me that I should have died that night from the blood loss and the cold, but I crawled to the Nemeton – "

"And the Nemeton gave you the power to live," Stiles finished for her.

"Exactly and with my powers of being a banshee…I can only hear the voices with a form of liquid near…and you performed that sacrifice submerged in water that released the spirit locked in a jar stained with my blood."

Stiles didn't know if "I'm sorry" exactly fit in this scenario. He knew how it felt to lose a parent and actually have to witness it as they passed, but he knew that saying "I'm sorry" didn't help with the looks of pity. He also didn't know if sorry could be a real apology for bringing her back in this mess. Instead Stiles covered his hands with hers and they both locked eyes that were filled with understanding of that pain. He felt her return the hold and give him a watery smile and he thought she really looked beautiful and he hoped when she was released from here Lydia didn't have her get into makeup heavily to distract from her natural splendor.

But all too soon her eyes filled with worry as she looked at him, "Your neck. The lines aren't even there anymore."

Stiles looked panicked, "Could you check my back?"

Gabriella nodded her head, he turned around and she lifted up his shirt, "Stiles, there almost gone."

"Shit."

"Maybe we're missing something," Gabriella said as she got up from the couch and walked to the kanji symbol. Gabriella traced the wall when all of a sudden she decided to knock at it with her knuckles. "Stiles?" She called out to him as he walked over to her she rasped out on it again for him to hear, "It's hollow."

Stiles looked around and picked up a metal pipe and broke the wall down. Looking inside the wall, they found a skeleton all enclosed and covered in cobwebs, Stiles never taking his eyes off the body said, "This is him."

Gabriella moved from her spot started going through the pockets of the jacket and ended up pulling out an old outdated photo and looked at it, "Well this certainly isn't my dad." She handed the photo to Stiles, "You recognize any of them?"

Stiles took the photo from Gabriella as she stepped back from the wall, "One of them. I need to get this to Scott."

What neither of them expected was Oliver to stun Stiles with a Taser, "You took Brunski's keys and I took his Taser." Oliver taunted them. Gabriella looking over at Oliver noticed he looked paler and there were prominent bags under his eyes. She started backing into the wall when he started walking towards her with the stun gun and he proceeded to stun her in her stomach making her drop to the floor. Gabriella looked at him with fearful eyes as he knelt down to her, "I also got his Haldol." He told her more directly before stabbing her in the leg the drugs taking effect immediately knocking her out.

Oliver stood up and walked away from Stiles and Gabriella towards a chest, "Like I was saying Stiles, I heard they used to do trepanation here."

Stiles struggled to talk with the voltage of electricity numbing his body, "Oliver what are you doing?"

Oliver picked up a power drill and looked at Stiles, "I'm going to let the evil spirits out," he told him turning on the drill.

...

Stiles came back to consciousness and saw Oliver looking over him, "I borrowed a few pointers from the five point restraint."

At this point Stiles realized he was not on the ground anymore, but strapped in a chair with restraints and pasted Oliver he saw Gabriella was laying in another chair unconscious, "Oliver, stop this." Stiles watched as Oliver coughed and hacked up something and notices whatever he looked at seemed to make him angry and Oliver started to come closer with the power drill on, "Oliver, listen to me. Stop! Oliver! Oliver! Stop!"

Before Oliver met Stiles' head, a deep voice stopped him, "Start with her."

Stiles looked around for the sound of the voice recognizing its owner, the Nogitsune. Stiles had tears lining his eyes as he struggled with the restraints as he spoke, "You did this. You got into his head."

Gabriella was right they walked right into a trap.

"Every Dracula needs a Renfield," the creature commented.

Looking to where Oliver went, he saw him tying Gabriella's wrist up, "Just let her go."

"Let me in." The Nogitsune countered back.

Stiles not wanting to let the Nogitsune in his mind and body began struggling against the restraints.

The Nogitsune amused by Stiles walked closer to Gabriella, "Stiles. Do you want her to leave here alive? Do you want us to leave? We can walk out of this place."

Stiles seeing Oliver securing Gabriella's other wrist, and the Nogitsune getting closer begged, "Just let her go please."

The Nogitsune looked at Gabriella pushing her hair out her face, "Isn't she beautiful Stiles? I remember possessing her father. This little banshee was predicting my death from the start with her father as a host."

"Don't touch her." Stiles screamed out from his seat. "Get away from her."

The Nogitsune loving the reaction he was getting out of Stiles taunted him more, "Does someone have a little crush forming? I know Oliver has one on her. Don't you Oliver?"

Stiles watched as Oliver nodded his head and positioned his hand on Gabriella's head with the power tool in the other, "No, no please stop it!"

"Stiles if you let me in, I will let her go, and maybe take her with us. The power of a banshee with us Stiles, we could become so powerful, and you would finally have a girl on your side." The Nogitsune said leaving Gabriella's side walking towards Stiles. "Let me in. Let me in, Stiles!"

Stiles fought against the restraints, "Just let her go please!" Stiles watched as Oliver turned on the power drill aiming at her temple. "Let me in, Stiles! Let me in! Let me in and I'll let her live." Stiles saw no other option in getting Gabriella out of this trap, giving up the fight in him, he let him in.

Oliver getting closer to Gabriella's temple he stopped the power drill when he heard his name be called out, and the sounds of the restraints breaking. Turning he noticed The Nogitsune giving him a disapproving look for what he was about to do walking towards him, Oliver couldn't help but be a little nervous and scared.

The Nogitsune took the drill from Oliver eyeing it before he proceeded to knock him out, taking a glance at Gabriella he went to leave when he heard her breathing starting to accelerate as she woke up and she called out Stiles' name. The Nogitsune was going to just completely walk away, but he couldn't resist.

Gabriella still felt groggy from what Oliver did to her, but she still was able to make out Stiles' body enough as she called out his name. Seeing Stiles walk back to her she went to move her arms, but they were in restraints, Stiles now standing next to her she looked up at him confused as he made no move of helping her out, "Sti-," she began, but she stopped herself, "You're not Stiles."

The Nogitsune with an amused smirk spreading across his face, brought his face closer to hers and grabbed her face in between his hands, "That's right my little screamer." He got more amused and tightened his grip on her face knowing it was going to leave a bruise when she tried to get out of his hold. The Nogitsune used his other hand and grabbed a fistful of her hair to keep her still, "You know he is in here, screaming for me not to hurt you."

"Well are you?" Gabriella said through clenched teeth.

"Of course not," The Nogitsune responded sounding offended she would ask, "I didn't hurt you when you were younger did I? Besides I promised him I wouldn't." Seeing the look that crossed her face in confusion and how he was planning on giving a promise or more so keeping his word, "Ahh, I think Stiles here might be forming a little crush on you, it seems kind of quick from my point of view, but who could resist you anyway."

"What do you want?"

Stiles tilted her chin up admiring the bruises already forming on her face, smashing his lips to her, like expected she did not respond. He smiled against her lips as he decided to get a little bit of pain from her and bit her bottom lip making her jump in pain. "You know what I want?" He said roughly as he nibbled on her bottom lip licking the blood of her lips.

As she could not control it, Gabriella let out a scream causing The Nogitsune to smile as he walked away from her leaving Eichen House.


	14. Crimson Dreams

Gabriella didn't know why she requested to go to his house – to see his room, but she did. She knew she was going to receive odd looks at the first request she made being released from Eichen House, but she needed to see it. After explaining to Scott what happened in Eichen House and handing over the sword with the picture she needed to see something of Stiles who was trapped in his mind.

She needed to see his reality – his world – since she was deeply submerged in it.

No one was in the house. It was dark and empty. She expected it as everyone was still looking for the lost boy. She hated she couldn't be of any help, but the voices weren't talking and she knew it was because they were scared. Lydia, who hasn't left her side since her discharge, was outside in her car as she gave her cousin a moment to herself.

Lydia didn't agree in going to Stiles' house while the Nogitsune was roaming free with Stiles' body. She thought they should stay a hundred miles away since this creature left bruises on her face with a split lip and Morrell told them he was transfixed by their power. Gabriella didn't care. She needed this.

Immediately entering the house you could tell it was a male house that lacked a feminine touched or recent touch. The feminine touch was more fading as if they were trying to keep certain things there but time and age needed to replace it. Gabriella knew it was just Stiles and his dad. Despite her not being in school with Stiles when it happened it's not hard for her to feel the loss or for her to hear the cries of a mother who wishes for her son and husband happiness. Sometimes when she listened to the rain it wasn't always soothing.

Gabriella didn't snoop, but just made her ways up the stairs down the hallway to Stiles' room. It was if her mind already had the cognitive layout even though she only been to this place once in a dream. She remembered the light blue walls that passed for teal, his bed, and desk. She remembered the feel of his soft blue comforter as it was plusher than the standard off white ones issued at Eichen House. She also remembered this brown wooden door she warned him to ignore and to just come back to bed.

Gabriella reached his door and timidly pushed it open.

She lingered out in the hallway as the door creaked opened to reveal his room – his vacant room.

Behind all the pictures that littered his wall she saw his paint was a light teal color like the dream. His furniture was a dark mahogany, except his computer desk which was stark white, which complimented his walls. Gabriella stepped closer to one of his walls and behind the madness of his mind she saw Stiles mixed in there from his music posters that advertised groups she never heard of. She lightly traced the papers on the wall before her eyes caught a picture of Stiles in an athletic uniform next to Scott. They both looked younger as Stiles had a buzz cut and Scott was rocking shaggier hair. Gabriella picked up the picture frame and walked around his made bed and sat in the leather chair covered with a sheet. She felt sitting on his bed was too personal.

Her attention on the photograph she observed they both looked so happy and carefree in the picture. They had no idea how their life was going to turn out and whatever sport this was she assumed they thought there only struggle was going to be trying to maintain good grades to stay on the team, but she suspected that was probably a major struggle in trying to juggle supernatural problems. She placed the picture on his nightstand next to his bed that only contained a lamp and phone.

She could tell since Stiles went missing he hadn't made an appearance in his room. It was cold with absence. No one had been here probably since Stiles admitted himself into Eichen House.

Other than the absence, the room to her was what would be that of any teenage boy. Ignoring the plethora of photos of cases on his wall, he had posters, baseball trophies, more pictures, and a lot of other trinkets scattered around the room. He had more space than she ever had at Eichen House.

Gabriella wished she would have grabbed a cup of water to maybe get a clue or something in here although she wasn't getting any feeling from being here so she knew it would probably be useless. The Nogitsune would be found when he wanted to on his terms and he wasn't going to let a banshee spoil his fun.

Gabriella got up from the chair and gave his room another once over when she paused at the picture directly above his dark headboard where he slept. It was a picture of her. Her last grade school picture she took at the public elementary school.

She unpinned the picture from the wall as she took it in her hands and observed the then innocence Gabriella not yet surrounded by death and chaos.

She honestly doesn't remember life before Eichen House regarding school and she thought it was personally better that way as it didn't give her something to miss. She couldn't miss what she never had even though she thought that statement didn't ring true.

The picture started to waiver in her hold and salty tears began to scatter it. Gabriella released the picture from her grip on to the bed and walked out of Stiles' room and shut the door.

Only if she knew and felt what lurked behind the door with a dandelion in his hand.

...

Gabriella wiped her face as she went outside back to where Lydia was waiting for her in the car. Both of them hadn't said much and Gabriella wasn't sure how to act around her. As soon as Lydia picked her up with her aunt, Natalie, who didn't seem to thrill to have her, Lydia had been constantly apologizing and she didn't even know how much someone could apologize in twenty four hours.

But just from those hours, she realized how different – yet similar - she and her cousin were. She just didn't know how to interact with her cousin because she would be honest she felt a pinch of hurt from the radio silence on her family's part even after their grandmother died. She didn't know how to address that topic because she knew these looks of pity or sympathy wasn't going to cut it.

Plus she didn't know how she was going to transition from being in Eichen House to out in the real world.

Gabriella wiped her cheeks for extra measure being mindful of the tender bruises and sat in the passenger seat of Lydia's car. Lydia didn't say anything as she started the car and they made their way back home. Home a word that she needed to get used to.

Gabriella was watching the passing scenery when Lydia finally spoke up. "So are you okay?

Gabriella glanced briefly over at her cousin who was trying her best not to look over at her. "I don't know. I am just worried about Stiles."

"Well if there is one thing you can count on about Scott – this pack – is we will save him." Lydia told her as she looked over at her and gave her a smile before Lydia asked what she wanted for dinner. She knew that was her cousin's way of trying to keep her mind off Stiles and all the supernatural things that were plaguing the town, but she couldn't. She could only think of what happened if they couldn't save Stiles.

* * *

Gabriella looked around her new bedroom which was a lilac purple a similar shade to Lydia's own room, but while Lydia had white accents she had cherry wood. Her walls were bare except Lydia or Natalie dug out a picture for her of her and her dad that was hung on the wall next to her bed. It was at a party she presumed as both their faces were smeared with cake. Looking at the picture made her feel guilty as time went on she found that memories started to become brittle. They chipped away with time. Absence becomes a more prominent memory than ones that actually happened.

Gabriella walked away from the picture and stood back in the middle of the room in front of her bed. She was restless, yes, and this new environment didn't help. Plus, she couldn't stop thinking about Stiles since Lydia hadn't heard anything from Scott about what he discovered from that picture and broken sword.

She was also trying to get used to her new attire. When she looked through the drawers she was overwhelmed by all her options – all her choices – just to wear to bed. She eventually settled on some plaid shorts with a wife beater. She traced the raised flesh on her thigh self-consciously.

Gabriella walked back to her door to make sure it was locked as she decided she was just going to call it a night. Lydia and Natalie both had already come by to make sure she was okay and she was for the most part, but she told them she needed time for herself and if she really needed something she would let them know.

Gabriella pulled back the plush blankets as she lay back on the pillow top mattress. As she laid there she wondered how long her body was going to need to condition her body to get used to this luxury.

She also needed to get used to not having to share a room anymore. She knew she was going to miss Meredith and she worried for her friend on how she was going to survive in Eichen House alone.

Gabriella turned on her side and curled her covers around her as she willed sleep to come.

Gabriella turned over again when she felt a cold metal underneath her and a chill cover her body. She sprung her eyes open to find herself in a car and she sprung up she hit her head on the top of the car which was actually the bottom. Gabriella quickly crawled out of the car to meet hard cold dirt, leaves, and twigs.

Gabriella turned around and she instantly recognized where she was at. She was at the site of the wreck where her father – family – died.

She knew deep down inside she was dreaming. She had to be, but it didn't stop her from getting up from the ground and running through the woods. She was reminded back to Stiles' dream where they were locked in the school, but this time she knew what was after her.

Gabriella didn't even spare a glance as she ran. Her bare feet didn't wince in pain as she stepped on rocks. She didn't even flinch when branches nicked her skin. She just kept running until she slipped. She thought it was a puddle, but that metallic scent filled her nostrils as it splattered across her face and her body. The blood wasn't in the dirt, the surface was hard. It was concrete.

Gabriella looked up to find herself out of the woods and in a concrete cell with bars as a door.

Gabriella got up from the puddle of blood and tried her luck with the bar door and she already knew it was going to be no use. As she wrapped her hands around a bar and tried to open it, she felt the blood on her hands coat the bar and when she released them she saw it smeared around the poles. That's when she heard the crackling and when she turned around she saw them forming in the shadows and in the blink of an eye one had already formed and had its sword ready to plunge into her.

She felt the tip of the blade hit the taunt skin of her stomach when she sprung up from her bed throwing the covers off her since her body had formed a cold sweat.

She tried to resupply her lungs with oxygen as she wiped the perspiration off her body that felt a lot like the blood that coated her in her demented dream.

Then she felt that familiar chill travel down her spine as a voice spoke out to her in the dark, "What were you dreaming about?" The voice asked as it clamped her mouth shut as he silenced her scream.


	15. Pinpoint

Gabriella froze at the familiar cold rough hand against her mouth. She knew he felt her body trembling in his presence.

He dipped his head down to her neck and she felt his nose trace the vein. A light chuckle vibrated against her ear, "Mmm, you smell entrancing." Gabriella tightened her hold on her covers from the familiar voice belonging to Stiles. "So were you dreaming about an impending death?" He asked as he removed his hand from her mouth.

Gabriella swallowed her fear as she looked at The Nogitsune controlling Stiles' body. His skin was becoming noticeably paler. His eyes were surrounded by purplish bruises. On her stomach she felt blood dripping down on her. "It's not what you think…self-inflicted."

But she wasn't worried about what caused the wound. It was how she heard voices – his past victims' voices – screaming from the crimson liquid.

The Nogitsune looked down at the blood forming a puddle on her and he left out a deep chuckle the rumbled his body, "So what does my little screamer hear?"

Gabriella looked back into the dark spirit's eyes that were amused by her and this situation. In a flash, she felt his hand in her hair tighten around her roots, "This silent treatment is getting old, sweetheart." He told her and his eyes flashed with anger.

"Why are you here? Just to taunt me?" Gabriella said finally speaking.

"Taunt you? No…I saved that for your new little pack you just joined. Setting them on a wild hunt looking for the broken Stiles…it's a shame though how they seemed to forget you are an important player in my game though."

"You can't control me…I would never let you in."

Gabriella recoiled when she felt his hands slither up her body, "I don't want your body. I want your power."

Gabriella turned her head away from him as she felt him dip his head once again to probably smell the fear coming off her like waves.

"You know I promised him I wouldn't hurt you." He told her as he moved some of her hair away from her neck. He traveled down her neck lightly kissing her and softly sucking where he meets the juncture of where her shoulder and neck meet. "But I can't resist."

Gabriella's body went into panic mode and she tried to buck him off her and to get out of his hold but it was no use as his hand tightened around her neck depriving her of oxygen. Gabriella lashed her arms out as she fought for air. She knew she was leaving scratch marks on his arms which only seemed to amuse him more.

Her fear amplified with she saw him smile, but his teeth weren't human teeth they were sharp like fangs and like the bandaged man's form of the Nogitsune. Salty tears leaked out of her eyes as he licked his lips and his head whipped down to her neck and she felt his teeth pierce her skin when she jumped up startled from bed and immediately removed herself from the bed feeling her neck and checking her clothes for blood, but she was clean and there was no puncture marks.

Gabriella walked to her nightstand and grabbed the clock that showed it is only 9:30 in the morning. Next to the clock she saw a note with Lydia's handwriting informing her that Lydia was with her "boyfriend" Aiden, and her mom was out for the day. Gabriella already expected that as she felt Natalie wasn't exactly thrilled with her presence. Setting the note down, Gabriella looked around her room and decided to stick to some of the routine she had at Eichen House and she made her bed while she checked to make sure last night was truly just a twisted dream, which from none of the evidence she found in her bed it seemed it was.

Gabriella went up to her window that overlooked some of the neighborhood. Lydia didn't live in the same neighborhood she did when she was little and she guessed it had to do with her Uncle and Aunt getting divorced. She thought the neighborhood seemed nice though. She like the house had woods in the backyard.

She opened her blinds a little before she grabbed an outfit for the day and placed it on her bed and headed to the shower.

Gabriella walked backed into her room after the shower and passed the body mirror when she froze at the discoloring on her shoulder right by her neck angled toward the back so you wouldn't be able to see it without the assistance of a mirror. Gabriella with wide eyes looked at her reflection. Her hand immediately when to the spot and she tried to rub it but it made her wince and just irritated it.

She realized last night it wasn't a dream.

Gabriella immediately walked away from the mirror and put the outfit on she had set out. She went to Lydia's room to tell her about last night, but remembered she wasn't there and she cursed aloud when she realized she didn't have anybody's number.

Not wanting to be alone in the house, she decided to get some fresh air despite not even knowing where she was going and she had a 99% probability of getting lost.

Gabriella did not know how far she walked or even where she went when she realized she was in an empty parking lot. She knew she was too far away from the house. She walked further in the lot when she halted her progress when she saw a body lying unconscious on the ground. She mentally cursed herself as she just walked in a standard horror situation and the area of course is desolate. Getting closer to the body, she realized it was Stiles or at least his body on the ground.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Gabriella exclaimed rushing towards him and bent down to him checking him for a pulse on his neck that was barely there. She did an inspection of him checking for injuries when she noticed a deep gash in his abdomen in the same position in her dream where it bled on her. "I am so fucked." However, the sound of a car approaching tore her gaze off Stiles' body and her cousin emerged from the car.

* * *

Gabriella followed the group into Scott's house, as Scott and Aiden carried the Nogitsune or Stiles to put him on the couch. She stayed back from the scene as they try to figure out what to do with him when Deaton produced a brown bottle with a dropper and dropped some form of liquid in its mouth making the Nogitsune jumped awake grabbing Aiden by the throat, but slowly its grip loosened and he realized what they have given him was Kanima venom. Gabriella assumed this venom was a form of a paralytic.

The Nogitsune looked at the enraged beta twin, "You know how they say that twins get a feeling when the other one's in pain? You didn't lose that talent, too, did you? Oh, I hope not. You're going to need it." The Nogitsune smirked at Aiden having a hint of confusion and worry in his face, "Okay, I'll give a little hint. Ethan's at the school."

"Go." Scott told Aiden, as the Nogitsune laughed in response.

The Nogitsune leaned his head back on the couch watching the twin leave, "Oh, I hope he gets there in time. I like the twins. Short tempers. Homicidal compulsions. They're a lot more fun than you bakemono trying to save the world every day." The Nogitsune noticed Gabriella by the door and smirked at her and blew her a kiss, "Hey sweetheart you like the gift I left you last night?" He asked giving her a cheeky grin, as Lydia grabbed her closer to the group.

Melissa fed up with the taunts coming from him, "Doc, you brought something to paralyze his body. You got anything for his mouth?"

"Yes, I do." Deaton informed with a roll of tape in his hands. The Nogitsune laughed as he ripped the tape, but as soon as it covered its mouth, he let out a roar.

Lydia took her cousin into another room with Deaton and Scott while Melissa who was getting medical equipment to check on the wound on Stiles' body, "What did the Nogitsune mean he left you a gift?"

Gabriella bite her lip as she looked at the group waiting for her answer, "Last night I thought I just had a dream – nightmare – but it turns out he was really there in my room last night."

"Was that all?" Scott asked her and she knew he was listening to her heartbeat. He knew she was withholding about the bite on her neck.

"He just taunted saying how you guys were all out looking for him. How this was all just one big game." Gabriella elaborated and she knew her heart calmed down since she was telling the partial truth. Gabriella looked back to Deaton, "He is only interested in me because of my father, right? If I never stained that Nemeton…he would not care about me just my power."

Deaton looked at the young teenager girl, "I am not sure. You successfully predicted his downfall before and yes your powers are useful to him. We also can't underestimate if Stiles does feel some way towards you and the Nogitsune could be feeding off that from within Stiles," Deaton turned to face Gabriella directly, "but as I said he could just want you for your powers as your dad was possessed and you successfully predicted his death before." Deaton said very concerned for Gabriella.

"But he should know I wouldn't go willingly with him." Gabriella said looking at them.

"That is why I think this connection you have with Stiles is deeper than we might know, and he is smart for choosing a teenage host especially if he knew you were still here in the area. It would appeal to you more."

Gabriella felt a headache coming on from the stress and the general concern of Stiles. Gabriella glanced into the living room and noticed that Melissa took the tape off of the Nogitsune's mouth. Gabriella dismissed herself from the group as she wasn't listening anyway and made her way into the living room.

Waking closer to Melissa and the Nogitsune she was able to hear a bit of what he was saying, "Because he knew that Scott would never forgive you. He knew how much he would hate you." The Nogitsune seeing Gabriella making her way in the living room kept his gaze firmly on her, "Oh look, we have a visitor. Isn't she beautiful Melissa? Stiles thinks so." He said with a sinister grin.

Melissa went to put the tape back on his mouth but Gabriella stopped her putting a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, Ms. McCall." She said but never taking her eyes off the Nogitsune possessing Stiles' body.

"Are you sure?" Melissa said with hesitation in her voice not trusting the Japanese fox alone with the teenage girl.

Gabriella gave Scott's mom a smile and a nod before sitting down next to him after Melissa leaves. The fox eyed Gabriella as she sat next to him not in a different chair, but next to him, "So what do I owe the pleasure of having you in my company?"

Gabriella looked directly into the eyes of the Nogitsune; she remembered seeing the look of death that haunts his eyes causing bags to make them known on his host's body.

"You won't feel anything from me, sweetheart, I don't feel guilty." The Nogitsune informed her.

"Yeah, but Stiles might."

"Stiles isn't home right now." The Nogitsune said looking directly in her eyes. Despite being Stiles' body those whiskey eyes surrounded by deep bruises weren't his. They were too cold and calculating – clouded with mischief.

Tears lined her eyes and she desperately tried to blink them away. Somehow a pain smile mixed with a strained giggle escaped her throat. She thought how she was finally in the presence of what was responsible for her father's death and what might kill Stiles.

The Nogitsune somewhat amused from the pain he was picking up from her, but confused, "You know your pain is different, it is like a delicacy."

Gabriella snorted at him, "Well you would know right. You caused the death of my father."

The Nogitsune's eyes gleamed in amusement at the mention of his last host, who in his opinion was a waste of power, "OH, Ashton Martin…the water turned out to have more poisonous venom than he anticipated."

Gabriella now in total confusion from what he just said questioned, "What? What do you mean by that?"

The Nogitsune pursed his lips up and shrugged his shoulders at Gabriella not giving her an answer, but decided to mess with her, "I can tell you, but I will want something in return."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she watched him roam his eyes over her body. She knew he was just messing with her and she stood up from the couch as she grabbed the roll of black duct tape, "You know I am really wondering how you got complete and total control over Stiles' mind where he can't even make an appearance or try and fight you."

Gabriella was inches from his mouth before he spoke, "It was you."

The Nogitsune observed as she stood still as a statue, "I was able to get in here fully because he was so worried about you. Practically begging me to not hurt you, or I should say Oliver to not drill a hole in your head."

"Well he shouldn't have done that."

"The Red String of _**Fate**_ ," the Nogitsune said clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth and emphasizing the word fate, _"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break."_

"I didn't know you were familiar with Chinese myths or proverbs."

"Oh it's in Japanese myth; we just believe it is tied around our pinky finger."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"You and Stiles are the red string my dear. You two may not feel the pull yet, but it's there." He mocked. "I mean as soon as I was filling that darkness surrounding his heart I could feel the pull you had over the string. When he would be screaming himself awake from me, but no it was not him screaming. It was **you**. Man, was I happy Allison was able to close her door; I mean her pain would have satisfied me. However, Stiles brought me back to you, our own one of a kind water banshee. Stiles and his fetish for banshees, I mean you guys are perfect for us. My little **death** omen." He growled out.

Gabriella knew he had to be messing with her. It was just a tactic for him to feed off her pain more.

"Come on, there are werewolves, banshees, druids, me, and you don't believe in **fate**?" The Nogitsune taunted some more.

Gabriella didn't respond as she placed the black tape over his mouth.

* * *

A man who Lydia called "a devil in a V-neck" aka Peter Hale was currently walking around the Nogitsune. He apparently would know a way to save Stiles by turning him or figure out how to outsmart the Nogitsune instead of Scott having to bite his best friend. "He doesn't look like he would survive a slap across the face, much less the bite of a werewolf.

Scott asked worried, "You don't think it would work?"

"This is more a war of the mind than the body. There are better methods to winning this battle."

"What kind of methods?" Deaton pondered.

Peter looked at the Nogitsune taking Scott's hand that now has claws extended, "We're going to get into his head." Peter looked at Lydia, "You and I need to talk." The group watched as they walk away from the group.

Gabriella's gaze lingered on their retreating form mostly Peter as she felt a pricking on her skin from him. "You okay?"

Gabriella jumped at the sound of Scott's voice, but she nodded her head, "Yeah…can you trust him?"

"No…not really…he always has some ulterior motive."

Gabriella absentmindedly nodded her head and redirected her gaze to the Nogitsune who was sitting on the couch acting calm and collected about them going into his – Stiles' - mind. Something about this seemed off to her.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

Gabriella focused back onto Scott. She shuffled through her hazy memories about him once her and Stiles began communicating in his dreams, but she barely remembered anything about the Alpha werewolf. She did know she felt bad about all the stress he was probably going through and having to be a then reluctant leader to a pack. "Don't be…it was fate." Gabriella mumbled and she didn't miss the way the Nogitsune arched his eyebrows as he looked amused.

Gabriella looked over to where Peter and Lydia were talking in what seemed like heated whispers. Despite the Nogitsune being in such close proximity of her she couldn't get anything off him, but Peter was practically screaming for her to find the name of the person who tainted his soul or in other words changed the color of his eyes. "What do you think they are talking about?" Gabriella asked to Scott.

Scott looked in the direction of where Lydia and Peter went, "Lydia must have something he wants. Peter never works for free."

"Isn't he a little too old to be bargaining with teenagers?"

Before Scott could reply, the smug voice of Peter cut through, "I'm not that old, but my expertise comes with a price." Peter informed looking at the young girl who looked vaguely familiar to him.

"So, do we have a plan?" Deaton's asked.

Peter addressed the whole group, "Scott is going to try and dig through pale and sickly Evil Stiles' mind to unearth pale and sickly Real Stiles. Then guide him back from the depths of his own subconscious. However, he is not going to do it alone. Somebody needs to go in with you." Peter said looking directly at Gabriella.

"Me?"

"Of course sweetheart, you been connected to Stiles from the start."

Lydia glared at Peter turning to her cousin, "You do not have to do this, I can go under."

Gabriella looked between the Nogitsune and Peter before she looked back to Lydia, "No it is fine, it is for Stiles." Gabriella said as she took a seat next to the Nogitsune as Scott stood behind them.

"So what do we do if we find him?" Scott asked Peter as Peter lined up his claws against the back of the Nogitsune and Gabriella's neck.

"You're going to have to guide him out somehow. Try to give him back control of his mind, his body."

"Could you elaborate on the "somehow"? It's not feeling very specific at the moment." Lydia spoke up from her stance with Deaton and Melissa looking at her cousin.

Peter turned to look at Scott, "Improvise."

"What if this is just another trick?" Scott said aloud not addressing anyone in particular.

Peter taken back but amused, "When are you people going to start trusting me?"

"I meant him." Scott clarified to Peter looking down at Stiles' head.

"Oh.

"Scott, we're running out of time." Deaton said referring to the sun that will be setting.

Scott took a deep breath as his eyes flashed red as he plunged his claws into their necks entering Stiles' mind.

* * *

Gabriella opened her eyes as she took in her surroundings, recognizing the pale color of the room, and the familiar weight across her body, "Seriously!" She said aloud. Turning her head she realized Scott was in the bed across the room.

"We are in freaking Eichen House." Gabriella exclaimed as she struggled with the restraints for a little bit realizing they were not going to budge, she paused when she heard Scott trying to break free, "Do I need to remind you that you are a werewolf?"

Scott stopping his struggle looked at Gabriella, "We're in Stiles' head."

"And you're a supernatural creature with supernatural strength. Break free." Gabriella deadpanned.

Scott straining against the restraints was able to break free, and got up from the bed to release Gabriella. Scott helped her off the bed, "What now?"

"I don't know. This is my first time in someone else's head willingly."

Scott looked at their only way out. He began walking through the door before he turned back to look at her, "Just stay behind me."

Gabriella began to following Scott as he made his way out the door but was stopped when the door slammed shut on her. Gabriella pounded on the door and yelled, "Scott! Scott!" as she tried to open the door by the handle. She stopped when she felt a change in the atmosphere of the room and an uncommon kind of white noise that she thought she would never hear again filled the room.


	16. Permeability

Gabriella turned around to look back into the room that was no longer the mute colors of Eichen House. The walls were white as well as the carpet with red accents. The room was sparsely decorated with a bookcase, a couple of chairs, and a record. No noise could be heard from the outside as it was soundproof.

Gabriella knew she wasn't allowed in this room alone. She never performed well in this room. Every time she left this room Grandma was disappointed in her as she would never do or say what Grandma wanted. Grandma eventually replaced her with Meredith who could hear another frequency from the white noise.

"Grandma?" Gabriella called out as she moved away from the door.

The record player that played the blank vinyl was still running without the headphones. Gabriella removed the needle from the player and the room turned mute. That's when she noticed the two discarded clear glasses on the floor with a puddle of red around them.

No one was allowed to drink anything in here Gabriella thought as she rushed to the stain. She and her grandmother were the only ones here and Gabriella knew for sure she would be the one to get blamed. Gabriella made quick work of getting on her hands and knees as she used her shirt to try and soak up the stain, but it wasn't do anything. It was just smearing more. It was rapidly bleeding through her shirt.

Then the smell permeated through the room. It was blood. Gabriella quickly removed herself from the puddle. She didn't want to know what was going on in here and Grandma would be mad if she messed with evidence. She was going to make a dash out of the room when she heard a laugh.

Gabriella snapped her head up to the sound and found Meredith crunched next to one of the stereo speakers with blood streaming out of her ears.

"Meredith?" As expected she didn't get a response as Meredith was lost in her world of voices as she twitched her head from side to side and mumbled incoherent things.

Gabriella slowly walked forward as to not frighten Meredith who was in this state as she kneeled down in front of Meredith she finally heard what she was saying, "They're coming."

Gabriella very gently asked, "Who's coming, Meredith?"

"They're coming for all of us." Meredith started to become more agitated as she spoke. "The hunt…they're coming…the beast," Meredith uttered out as she folded into herself almost into a fetal position.

Gabriella was beyond confused but then she noticed Meredith's blood from her ears had turned to a silvery metallic color – almost like mercury. "Meredith…we need to get you out of here."

Gabriella was trying to coax Meredith out of her fetal position when her name rung in her ears and she recognized it to be the voice of Lydia. Gabriella clutching her ears realized something was very wrong about this scenario. Gabriella backed up from Meredith as she realized this happened years ago. Gabriella was halfway away from Meredith when she saw the bandages around Meredith's hands. Meredith looked up at her and screamed and Gabriella felt the illusion begin to crack as she ran to the dorm and opened it.

Gabriella slammed the door shut and turned around to find herself in Purgatory, where she first met Stiles. Gabriella heard Scott before she saw him when he approached her side, "I don't see him."

Gabriella looked around the all-white room. There was nothing in here and as soon as they got here even their door disappeared. Gabriella was looking around when she saw it. "He is in there." She pointed out.

Scott turned his head in the direction where she was pointing where a metal tub stood alone in this room.

Gabriella and Scott quickly made a run for the tub. When they got there the tub was surrounded by vines Gabriella would assume from the Nemeton. When they both peeked in the tub, there was Stiles seemingly sleeping in the water with mistletoe, circular black and white games pieces, and dead fireflies. Scott quickly went to put his hand in the water, but it bounced back as if a force field surrounded it. Gabriella tried it too and it produced the same effect. They both quickly began shouting Stiles name, but it didn't work until Gabriella thought of something.

"Wait, Stiles is part of your pack."

Scott looked down confused at her, "What?"

"He's human. But he's still part of the pack, right?" Gabriella noticed Scott catching on to her train of thought, "So how do wolves signal their location to the rest of the pack?"

Scott bent his head down as he shifted into full werewolf form as he replied, "They howl." Gabriella looked down in the tub as the water rippled and Stiles opened his eyes as Scott's howl filled their ear drums.

* * *

Gabriella jumped up and took a deep breath of air, as if she was holding her breath underwater that had her stumbling forward from her chair. Seeing Lydia starting to rush forward she held her hand out indicting she was fine, "Did it work?" She asked but noticed Stiles was still slumped on the couch unconscious.

Gabriella ignored the sting of the cool air from the puncture wounds from Scott's claws as she focused on the unconscious body in front of her.

Gabriella placed her hands on the side of Stiles' head as she ignored everyone else especially Lydia who told Peter about who she was to him and how Scott was interested in what Lydia was telling Peter. Instead, she focused on Stiles and screamed his name and as if the sound of her name, voice, or the screaming seemed to be a spark to him, Stiles' unconscious form jumped up from the couch causing Gabriella to stumble backwards into Scott.

Stiles jumped off the couch looking like he was choking before he ripped the tape off his mouth and began to vomit a long strand of gauze bandages. Gabriella gasped in shock when a hand emerged from the pile and a body began to crawl out. The figure fully formed lunged forward, but Scott and Peter rushed to hold him down with great effort. Gabriella watching the struggle sensed something was amiss as the figure kept clawing at his face and she felt something.

Stepping forward she pushed Scott and Peter out of the way, "Guys stop," she demanded as she helped the figure rip the gauze covering its face; her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she met the teary-eyed gaze of Stiles.

"Gabriella?" Stiles said as he found his voice and focused on the aquatic eyes that were filled with relief before she looked at him in alarm and to the side of her to the empty spot in front of Scott's couch then behind her and called out for her cousin, "Lydia? Where is she?"

* * *

Gabriella sat in the middle of who she was told Isaac's bed. She hadn't met the other beta of Scott's pack. She wasn't sure how she even got into this room. After realizing her cousin was taken. Almost immediately they received word from Allison or Kira about the werewolves going berserk in the school's locker room, Deaton left to handle them. She wasn't sure what happened to Peter. She just remembered Scott's mom, Melissa, talking to her and Gabriella thought maybe it was Melissa who directed her to this room while Scott dealt with Stiles.

She knew that they all walked into another game of the Nogitsune's. He wanted them to go inside Stiles' mind so he could split their bodies. Now he was unrestricted by a host body and he took her cousin. Gabriella wasn't clueless as to why. It was because of their power. The scariest part of the scenario even if she wasn't so close to Stiles she knew he planned to take Lydia from the beginning.

Gabriella cannot help but feel her life had done a complete 180 on her maybe even a full 360 into another dimension because she had no idea what was happening. One minute she was in a mental institution indirectly because she could hear voices in water, now she was involved in a supernatural world her being a creature that comes from an Irish myth and a dark spirit had kidnapped her cousin and was the cause of her father's death.

Gabriella closed her eyes and she actually for a hot second had a feeling her grandmother was on to something leaving her in Eichen House and somewhat wished she were back in Eichen House or at least in Morrell's office.

Gabriella looked around the room and saw on the nightstand a glass of water. She leaned over to take a sip and the movement jostled the cup when she felt pain erupt in her skull that caused her to drop the cup that shattered on the floor as she joined the liquid and broken tumbler.

* * *

"Can The Oni find him?" Stiles asked Kira's mom after getting confirmation from the Oni that he was indeed himself or more so himself as Noshiko stated it.

"Tomorrow night. It's too close to dawn now." She informed him.

"Can they kill him?"

"It depends on how strong he is."

Stiles briefly glanced up to the ceiling where upstairs that was where Gabriella was and he couldn't figure out why the Nogitsune took Lydia instead of Gabriella. Even though he was awake in his possession the Nogitsune didn't let him in on anything. He was a silent partner – a mute – and he wasn't privy towards the dark spirits thought and he knew the spirit didn't have any other emotion besides anger or amusement when it suited him, but he knew the Nogitsune was interested in Gabriella more for her powers, "What about Lydia? Why would he take her?"

"He would only take her for an advantage."

"Yeah for the same reason he could have taken Gabriella," Stiles grounded out.

"Just remember, we are still playing **his** game," Noshiko reiterated as if he could forget before she left with Kira.

"We'll find her Stiles," Scott said as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Stiles truly was worried about and for Lydia. He really was and he felt it was sort of ingrained for him to be because he had that long one sided crush for her, but at the moment he was concerned for the other banshee upstairs who seemed to be catatonic. "I know, but I am worried about what happens when we do and Gabri-" Stiles didn't get to finish his thought as they heard a loud crash coming upstairs knowing only one person was up there.

It was if Stiles went on autopilot as he ran upstairs through his exhaustion and the chill that rendered his body. He vaguely heard the footsteps of Melissa and Scott behind him as he opened the door to Isaac's room and saw Gabriella on the floor in the fetal position covering her ears. As he got closer he saw the puddle of water surrounding water. His senses were too dull to really register the pain of his knees crunching on the broken class and only when he touched Gabriella to signal he was there when he noticed the warm sticky substance that he became familiar with the past week. He had to struggle with his mind to ignore the blood – Gabriella's blood – that coated his fingertips as he tried to coax her out of what she was trying to ignore. Somehow he and Gabriella were in the position he was in when Melissa and Rafael found him in the car wreck. He was in Melissa place and Gabriella was in his.

Stiles looked back up at Scott and Melissa, "We need towels…we need to get rid of the water."

They both looked at him confused before Scott leaped into action and immediately began soaking up the liquid. It was only then when the liquid was halfway gone Gabriella opened her blue eyes and uncovered her ears that were bloody. "Melissa her ears are bleeding," Stiles called out in panic as he cradled the side of her head to get a better angle.

He felt Gabriella's hand go on top of his and her soft voice, "They won't stop screaming Stiles…" Gabriella then flinched in pain and Stiles watched in horror as a fresh stream of blood trailed down and ran a line down his fingers.

"She could have a perforated ear drum, but my guess is this could be supernatural banshee related," Melissa commented as she watched Stiles cradled Gabriella in his arms.

Stiles simply nodded his head as Gabriella was still clinching in pain and he felt her grip his t-shirt for support before it was released and her blue eyes fluttered open meeting his whiskey ones, "She doesn't want to be found, Stiles…Lydia told me don't find her." Stiles watched in dread as Gabriella closed her eyes again and passed out.

* * *

Stiles was actually sitting in the passenger side of his jeep while Scott drove him to see his dad at the station. It seemed his dad had no idea he was back and in his real body, but Stiles couldn't really focus on the reunion between him and his dad although he knew he was going to let his dad cheat on his diet for all the "chaos" he cause, he could only focus on Gabriella. He tried to ignore the phantom feeling of her blood on his hands no matter how much he rubbed his hands or tried to keep them busy to distract him from the sticky warm feeling of blood. It just reminded him about the arrow in Coach's stomach and the dying officer from the station or the dreams that were all warnings and every time he had blood on him it was Gabriella's.

"Hey…she will be alright."

Stiles knew Scott was monitoring his chemo-signals and listening to his heartbeat and Stiles wanted to tell him they had no idea if she was going to be alright. She was still essentially human as he was and they did not heal like the werewolves did. They were left with the physical reminders along with the mental ones. They got the double whammy. Stiles couldn't find it in himself to be optimistic or hopeful when for one Lydia didn't want to be found, second, Gabriella was unconsciousness, and thirdly, when this was all over for real if he made it out of this alive he would have to face what he let inside of him. What he let twist him up and how a part of him liked it what they done and how euphoric it felt when the Nogitsune fed of its byproduct of its games.

Stiles simply nodded his head as he couldn't verbally response to the false hope. He wanted to ask how long would she be alright. How long would they all get to be regular teenagers again for something else tipped the scales?

Instead, Stiles asked about Liam Dunbar the boy who Scott bit that was still slowly recovering from burn wounds that he caused.

Stiles listened as Scott replied as he explained that he doesn't know what to do now that he actually bit someone. How is he going to explain to this kid that no one knows anything about the world of the supernatural? How biting him was the only way to save him?

Save brought a funny taste to Stiles tongue. Scott's whole mission was to save someone – to save him. But what happened when the person didn't want to be saved or what happened when there was nothing left to save, but a cracked outer shell like the density of an eggshell.

Stiles just gazed out the window and felt the faint tremble of his heart as the darkness choked it.

* * *

Gabriella's eyelashes felt like they were stuck together what felt like clumps when she tried to open her eyes. She was trying to feign sleep for a while longer but the sunlight that was streaming through the window was becoming too hot on her skin. In honestly it felt like she was run over by a track or car. She also felt emptiness inside her it was sort of a dull pain. Gabriella turned over in the bed and found Stiles asleep in the chair next to the bed. He looked highly uncomfortable.

Gabriella sat up but frowned at the site of Stiles. She slithered off the bed and tiptoed into the bathroom and quietly shut the door. She immediately saw her reflection in the mirror despite the sleep she just got her eyes were clouded with exhaustion. Her hair was a tangled mess and she realized she wasn't even wearing the shirt she came here with. She was in a plaid shirt. That's when she felt the tautness on her skin from bandages. She had one on the side of her left hand when she lifted the sleeve of the plaid shirt she and saw a larger square bandage.

Gabriella about to turn the handle on the faucet hoping maybe she would be able to read something from the water when a chill burst through her body. Gabriella opened the door to the bathroom to find Stiles awake and looking around the room with worry.

Blue and brown clashed together. Gabriella didn't really know what to say to break the ice. She didn't blame Stiles at all for what has happened and it wasn't difficult for her to separate the Nogitsune's actions to Stiles', but she couldn't find any words especially now since the Nogitsune's words of them being brought together by a red string rung through her head.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella tentatively asked.

Stiles raised an eyebrow at her question as he slid on a coat, "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Deflecting is an answer to me Stiles," Gabriella said as she sat down at the edge of the bed in the middle.

Stiles took a seat next to her still deflecting from answering her first question. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

"Lydia doesn't want to be found, but you guys are still looking, right?"

"Yeah, they are…we are. Do you remember Meredith's ramblings about knowing the whole story?"

Gabriella furrowed her eyes in confusion at the mention of her roommate, "The whole story?"

"Yeah."

Despite her and Meredith both being Banshees they sometimes got different messages and their meaning. She knew about the 'the whole story' but at the same time she didn't. Her messages were mostly consumed with Stiles and his darkness, but sometimes in the closed unit when she focused enough she could sort through all the screams and what Meredith focused on. "The whole story…well recently at Eichen House there was one particular scream of pain that was louder in the building and other voices calmed it to be the voice of chaos. He was burned bad –" Gabriella stopped as a thought dawned on her.

"Gabriella? What is it?"

"The Nogitsune's form… the bandages…a burned victim…we were seeing his original host…the source of the screams, but that doesn't make sense."

Gabriella got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom knowing she was missing something from this. She turned on the faucet and was disappointed in what was coming through. "They don't want to tell me." Gabriella said to Stiles who was in the bathroom doorway. Gabriella turned around and put the faucets on full blast and received the same message, "Wh-why w-w-won't th-they –t-tell me." Gabriella started mumbling over and over to the point of hysteria when she felt arms enclose around her and the pressure in her ears was silenced when the water turned off.

Her pressure was soon forgotten when she felt that chilling sensation again mixed with a darkness that was heavy weighing down the soul. Gabriella back up from Stiles, but her hands were placed on his arms as she needed to hold onto the sensations she was reading from him a little longer. She looked into his whiskey eyes that were cloaked in darkness and the bruises around them made them look like they were bleeding. "None of this lands on you Stiles…you shouldn't feel guilty."

She watched as he regarded her intensely and she saw he was reliving all of what happened in his eyes and he removed his arms from her grips as he looked down at his hands. "I just can't-, I can't help but feel responsible for the explosion at the station, coach, the hospital…and you."

"But it wasn't you Stiles."

"But it was…it was my shadow. I-I can't talk about this right now. We should go downstairs to see if Scott is home or something."

Gabriella didn't say anything, but she slid on her flats that were placed next to the bed as she followed Stiles out of Isaac's room. Now all Gabriella felt was guilty, overwhelmed, and confused. She felt guilty by bringing up what she just said to Stiles as she felt the increasing weight in his body and she felt guilty because she couldn't properly help her cousin and that led to her feeling overwhelmed and confused. Gabriella wouldn't call herself self-absorbed, but she wasn't use to having to worry about so many people. It was always just her and Meredith. Now it was her, Meredith, Lydia, and Stiles, and soon that would include all of the pack. She didn't know how to accept these emotions. She didn't know how to properly divide feelings anymore.

So for now, she would ignore the sensations warning her to scream and focus on finding her cousin.

"Maybe we should go talk to Meredith at Eichen House." Gabriella suggested as her and Stiles turned the corner and both of them squeaked in shock at the site of a tall Latino man.

"Jesus, what are you doing here?" Stiles exclaimed at the man.

Gabriella knew the man looked professional and didn't attain any supernatural abilities, but it didn't stop her from standing closer to Stiles.

The man looked at both of them before he focused back on Stiles, "I could ask you two the same thing. I already saved your dad from impeachment, but I don't think I can save his son from truancy."

"Don't worry we were just leaving," Stiles countered as he grabbed Gabriella hand to leave the McCall's household.

"Stiles…I'm not that guy anymore. I came back to atone for my mistakes. I came back to be a father to my only son."

"Well make sure you tell your son the truth and see what he does with that." Stiles told the man coldly before he and Gabriella left the house and began walking to his jeep.

Gabriella quietly got into the jeep and she saw the tension rolling off Stiles. "I take it that was Scott's dad."

Gabriella watched as Stiles stilled for a moment before he turned on the ignition to his car, "Yeah."

"You don't seem to like him very much," Gabriella stated cautiously not knowing if she was crossing some boundaries.

"I don't." Stiles stated simply as if he was talking about the weather as he began to drive away from the McCall house. "But knowing Scott, he will forgive his father…it seems Melissa has, but I think that is what makes Scott the True Alpha , I guess, his ability to see the good in people and always trying to save them."

"You don't seem to admire that quality about your friend."

"I mean it's easy when you are a supernatural and you don't have the physical reminders."

"May I ask what Scott's dad done?"

"His drinking went too far one night and him and Melissa were arguing he hit her…and he went to strike her again, but Scott was up and tried to intervene, and he fell down the stairs hitting his head…I guess he blacked out for a bit, but Rafael quickly went down to San Francisco after that."

"And how do you know all this?"

"Melissa called my dad and I overheard."

"And you never told Scott."

"What good would have it done? He doesn't even remember."

Gabriella somehow felt that conversation was shifting into another territory and she looked at Stiles who was firmly concentrating on the road as she responded, "But you do."

* * *

The remainder of the car ride was sat in silence with the radio softly playing in the background. Gabriella was content being the passenger in the blue powdered Jeep that she didn't inquire where they were going until she saw the metal black gate and the grand architecture belonging to her former home.

"What are we doing here Stiles?"

"You said we should go talk to Meredith, right?" Stiles commentated as he got out of his jeep, but Gabriella remained still in her seat. She wasn't ready for this and so soon. Yes, she wanted to see Meredith, but this place was a house of horror and a part of her thought this could all be one big trick. "Hey, we'll be okay."

"You're not going to like leave me in here right?" Gabriella said attempting to apply some humor to this.

Stiles gave her a sad smile before he answered, "I wouldn't leave you behind."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Stiles said as he opened the passenger door.

Walking into Eichen House, Gabriella always knew it was intimidating and could be a scene of a horror film the old style of design with the wood flooring made it seem out of its time, but this was the first time she really saw what it looked like on the outside. She knew it had only been a few days since she was released, but freedom – something she didn't have since she was young – can quickly change someone's perception on things quickly.

Walking into the atrium to the front desk her and Stiles were quickly greeted by Schrader who was actually worse than Aaron and Calvin combined and was quickly rivaling Brunski in sinisterly. "Well, well, well, are we readmitting ourselves back in?" He greeted as he eyed both of them before he narrowed his eyes onto her with an archaic smile.

Gabriella felt Stiles' chilled hand on her wrist as he pulled her behind him slightly as he answered, "We are here to see Meredith."

"Well our former patient here should have told you that only family members are allowed to see patients that are known for behavioral problems."

"I am her family," Gabriella said.

"Not in these documents you aren't."

"Fine, we would like to see Morrell instead," Gabriella insisted.

"Still a demanding little thing aren't ya, Gabriella," Schrader said raising his eyebrow.

"What's going on here?"

Gabriella turned to the voice of Brunski who was walking to the reception area and she saw him eyeing her and Stiles hands that were clamped together.

"They are trying to see Meredith Walker," Schrader informed him.

"Would be pointless, your nut-job of a friend just got a nice dose of Haldol, you both were familiar with that weren't cha."

"We still want to see her," Gabriella insisted.

"Of course you do. I'll take them down Schrader."

Gabriella still held Stiles' hand firmly as they were led down the high security area of Eichen House, she knew Meredith must have been screaming really loud for them to send her down here and she knew it was only a matter of time if Meredith couldn't control herself she would be sent further down below the basement. Although just by being back here she knew why Meredith was having behavioral problems from the small leaking puddles they passed she could hear the terror in the voices how jumbled they were in trying to get across what they were trying to say.

They were halfway to Meredith's temporary room when Brunski began talking, "You know, _Stilinski_ , you still have people wondering how you disappeared out of here like a ghost you are still being charged though for the full 72 hours though."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from such a fine establishment like this," Stiles quipped.

"I don't like what you are insinuating, Stiles," Brunski said stopping their progress in the middle of the hallway.

"And what do you think I'm implying?"

Brunski just sneered before he looked over at Gabriella, "Martin, I think your little boyfriend needs some sleep we still have a room for him."

Gabriella felt Stiles grip tighten for a second before he went back to normal as they began following Brunski back down to Meredith's room and began unlocking the door, "You two get 10 minutes and this is the only time I am doing this…since I am so hospitable."

Gabriella quickly made her way into the room where she turned to look back at Brunski in confusion and for a moment panic seeped in as she thought this was all an illusion, but Brunski looked as alarmed as her. Meredith turned the tables and drugged the guy and took his keys.

* * *

Gabriella was back in the passenger seat in Stiles' jeep as they sat parked on the side of the road and she wondered where her roommate could have went and it didn't help that night was quickly approaching.

"Where could she go?" Gabriella asked for the millionth time. Stiles had already informed Scott on their fail lead, but they still thought it was an important lead.

"Maybe she is trying to find you," Stiles offered as an answer.

"When we find her though…she is just going to have to be taken back," Gabriella said as she rubbed her forehead in exasperation, "and if Meredith needed to tell me something…or if she was truly in distress…my ears would have started to bleed like last night."

"You mean your ears bleed as a signal of communication?"

"I guess…it happened only a couple of times before…last night. I didn't mean to scare you."

Stiles gripped his steering tighter as he looked out his window scared wouldn't even be the word to categorize what he what he witness last night. Even though his concern was to her missing roommate he could stop thinking about those orderlies. "That guy at the front desk and Brunski…what was up with that?"

"Nothing," she replied automatically, but then she quickly backtracked and from the look in her eyes as her clear blue eyes began to brew a storm he knew he wasn't going to get an answer especially now as she replied, "It doesn't matter now."

Although Stiles couldn't help the automatic response that fell from his lips as he told her, "But it matters to you."

Gabriella reached across the console in his car as she quickly took his hand and gave it a small squeeze, "That is what makes it hurt the most."

They were in the silence of his car when they both jumped at Stiles' ringtone blasting from his phone that was hooked to his speakers showing the caller ID belonging to his father. Stiles quickly answered the phone setting it up on speaker.

" _Stiles?"_

"Yeah, dad, it's me."

" _Is Gabriella with you by any chance?"_

"Yeah, why?"

" _I have a Meredith Walker insisting she needs to speak with her."_

* * *

Gabriella busted through the Sheriff's office where she found Meredith draped in a deputy's coat on a bench. She ignored everyone around her as she immediately engulfed her friend in a hug, "Oh my god, Meredith, I was so worried about you. Why did you leave Eichen?"

Gabriella could clearly see the distress on her friend's face as she spoke, "There are so many and they are all screaming."

"I know, Meredith, I know, but you can't leave…"

"The screaming wasn't helping…it wasn't working…I can-I can…"

"Hey, Meredith, calm down…breathe," Gabriella said as her friend started becoming more agitated.

"I can hear them, but I don't understand," Meredith said as she started to become more frightened.

"Is Lydia telling you something about not finding her?" Gabriella asked.

"No! No! No!" Meredith began shouting causing Gabriella to jump in shock. "I don't understand how this is going to happen?"

"What is going to happen Meredith?"

"Your death…they're coming."

"Okay, this isn't helping any of us right now," Stiles said immediately pulling Gabriella away from Meredith.

Gabriella looked back at her friend and then turned to Stiles thinking maybe she misread where the chilling sensation was coming from, but Meredith told her they're coming not him – not the Nogitsune.

"I need water. That wasn't…her message doesn't have to do anything with this."

"Her mess- she just predicted your death," Stiles said. "The last time I checked Banshees predicted death – fatal injuries."

Gabriella looked into Stiles whiskey eyes, "We need to find Lydia, Stiles."

"She already told you she didn't want to be found…"

"But we are still looking right?"

"What if finding her means your death…how does dying help what is happening?"

"It means my powers were useful and I saved my cousin from the thing that killed my father."

"No," Stiles disagreed, "It just means more death…more blood…more blood because of me."

"Stiles – "

"Are you going to get that?" Meredith's asked her voice interrupting their conversation.

Gabriella's stormy blue eyes looked at Stiles burning whiskey eye's before she turned away to address Meredith to find her watching them intently.

"Get what?"

"Your water."

"I'll get it…I need to fill them in anyways," Stiles muttered as she looked out the window to his dad's office where Scott and Isaac were making their way in towards where the Sheriff was standing outside the door.

Gabriella took a seat next to Meredith, "You know they are going to send you back to Eichen House."

"I know, but I had to tell you…even though the voices will be mad."

Gabriella gave her friend a bittersweet smile she wanted to tell her friend that no one was going to come after her, but she realized she couldn't tell her that because it would be a half truth and she never lied to Meredith, "One day Meredith…one day everything will become quiet."

"And we will live on the farm," Meredith replied.

Gabriella nodded her head although if her friend's prediction was right if she did die she wouldn't be on the farm, "and you can have your white rabbit."

Gabriella turned her attention to the sound of the guys talking outside the office and watched as Stiles came back in with a cup of water, "Here."

"Thank you," Gabriella said as she received the cup and watched the water ripple. She took a big sip from the cup and then she spitted it back into the cup and heard the words being released from the water.

"Coup de foudre?" Gabriella questioned aloud.

"What is that Spanish?" Stiles asked.

"No it's French," Scott said from the doorway.

"It means stroke of lightening," Gabriella added on. Or an unforeseen event, Gabriella said mentally as she felt there was more to the message that water wanted to tell her.

* * *

Scott told them they were going to Oak Creek apparently the birth place of the Nogitsune where Kira's mom called out for the trickster spirit for chaos, strife, and pain. As they got closer and closer, she felt that feeling of death start boiling in her stomach bringing a heat of pain. It didn't help that she didn't know what else the water had to say before they left the station and Meredith to find –save - her cousin.

Despite Meredith's warning about her death, she felt it was too premature. The Nogitsune wouldn't kill her, yet so she didn't know where this heat of pain of being emitted from and the only person she could think of was sitting in front of her and she had yet to tell him because again she wasn't sure. Gabriella was so lost in her thoughts she missed the conversation going on around her until she heard Isaac mention her name, "…Gabriella, the banshee, definitely knows it."

By Scott's reply she knew they were talking about Stiles' appearance. How pale and cold he was becoming along with the deep bruises around his eyes. But Scott made a valid point and that's why she didn't know if whose death she was filling from Stiles his or the Nogitsune's that took his shape.

Gabriella looked up to see Stiles looking at her through his rear-view mirror but she quickly looked away. Her eyes would tell him everything.

"You mean if he dies, do I die? I don't care. Just so long as no else dies because of me. I remember everything I did, Scott. I remember pushing that sword into you. I remember twisting it. I remember being in Gabriella's room-"

Gabriella stopped him, "It wasn't you."

"Yeah, but I remember it." Stiles turned to his best friend, "You guys gotta promise me. You can't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

They reached the abandoned internment camp, and Gabriella felt like she had taken a blow to the gut from the feeling of bereavement passing through her bones the heat was replaced with cold.

Stiles caught Gabriella as she almost stumbled as she got out of his jeep, "Hey you alright?"

"No," Gabriella stated truthfully, "no, something isn't right. We need to find Lydia."

"We will," Gabriella turned around to the strong determined voice of Allison, Lydia's best friend.

They passed the dilapidated gate of the forgotten internment camp when all of them came face to face with Noshiko, but Kira, Allison, and Isaac gave them the go ahead to find Lydia while they wait outside knowing the Oni were lurking in the shadows.

Running into the compound Scott declared he had Lydia's scent and heartbeat as they began to descend deeper into a system of tunnels to locate Lydia.

When they reached the basement, Scott immediately rushed to unlock Lydia from the cell she was in, but Gabriella was too preoccupied but all the water on the floor. The whispers warning her and she became aware of what the message was at the Sheriff's station. Gabriella voice broke through Lydia's frantic voice asking who was with them. "It's Allison, Scott, it's Allison."

Scott realized what they were referring to and broke the gate trapping Lydia and him and Lydia both started to run back up to where the fighting with no doubt the Oni was taking place. Gabriella realized Stiles was struggling behind to follow them so she stopped abruptly almost causing him to collapse on top of her as he held onto for balance, but his fatigue seemed to be too strong as he leaned against the wall and slid down.

"I can't, Gabriella, Gabriella," Stiles informed her as he panted his eyes beginning to close in exhaustion.

Gabriella quickly knelt down checking him for a pulse when she felt a hot white pain shoot through her abdomen feeling the fatal blow killing a warrior. The white pain soon turned to fear as a voice echoed through the tunnel, "They always forget about the queen."


	17. Checkmate

Gabriella released a loud groan as it felt like she has been hit repeatedly in the head as if she was someone's Bobo doll. She went to move her hands to touch her tender head when her hands were immediately retracted and she felt her skin be pinched by a metal material. She looked down at her hands and found them chained to a fence. She tried to shake her wrists hoping it would magically loosen the bind of the handcuffs that were enclosed tightly around her, but knew unless her wrists magically shrunk she was stuck, and shaking her wrists would just be a waste of energy.

Gabriella took in her surroundings of where she was being held captive. She saw many water tanks and then an area in a cage with school supplies.

"You're in the boiler room of the school." The voice of the Nogitsune called out from the darkness. Gabriella did not respond to him. She kept her focus on her feet that were in front of her as he walked in front of her.

"Did you tell him that he was dying?"

Gabriella knew he was referring to Stiles, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an answer.

He knelt down in front of her and took out her ponytail holder that loosened her hair that was confined in a ponytail and ran his fingers through it.

"The silent treatment… that is very unbecoming of you Gabriella." He told her as he ambushed her neck with his nose and she could feel his breath on her skin a chilling sensation run down her spine like ice. She heard him take a deep inhale no doubt taking in her scent and she almost gagged when she felt his tongue run along the vein on her neck.

"You know I wasn't going to bring you, but I just couldn't help myself."

She watched him walk away, but she stopped him when she began talking, "You're going to die, and I am going to be here screaming with a smile on my face."

The Nogitsune turned and looked over at Gabriella over his shoulder, "You sure about that?"

"I wasn't wrong about your death before was I?"

"Don't miss me too much while I am gone."

* * *

If he actually had the energy and stability, Stiles would be up in the living room of the Yukimura pacing trying to decipher why the Nogitsune would have taken Gabriella. Instead, he was sitting down on their couch in the living room his hands in fists and occasionally gnawing on stub of fingernails. "I don't understand why he took her."

He didn't. He really didn't. He took Lydia to know when his death would be enclosing on him to take control over the Oni. He obviously had the Oni so he wouldn't be too concerned with his death he couldn't keep a teenage girl captive forever.

Noshiko set some chamomile tea in front of the troubled boy in front of her, "It has to be all a part of his game."

 _She really isn't helping._ Stiles thought to himself while taking the warm tea. Not once since he stepped in this house has her advice been any good or useful. She had no idea why the Nogitsune was doing this or that and she was the woman that called out for chaos. This creature was part of her lineage of supernatural beings. Since being here all her advice had done was give him the ice cold feeling of dread.

Then his mind wondered back to seeing his friend still in shock blood on his shirt as he began apologizing profusely to Mr. Argent in not being able to save Allison. Stiles didn't know how Chris was going to be able to do it; this world they all lived in destroyed everything in their lives. Chris lost his sister, wife, father, and now his daughter, his whole world. The pack dealt with loss before from Erica and Boyd, it was terrible yes and loss is, but he wasn't close with them as he was with Allison. Allison was the first human they lost. She was Scott's first love and he…he was responsible for her death and the pain all of them were feeling.

Stiles focused his attention down to the tea that was releasing fumes into the air, but his attention turned back to the game of GO on their coffee table as Noshiko explained how the Nogitsune always has the upper hand and by splitting them he is more powerful. The dots were all being connected in his head.

_His game._

They were all still playing his game. "If we are still playing his game… he took Gabriella as an advantage right. Like a queen in chess protecting its king."

Ken gave Stiles a nod of understanding as he responded, "To beat him you guys are going to need a divine move, I think taking Gabriella was part of his divine move that we have yet to see."

"What's that?" Stiles asked as he looked at the arrangement of the black and white game pieces on the wooden board.

Noshiko further explained, "In the game of Go, it's what we call a truly inspired, or out-of-the-box move. The Nogitsune has had sente, the advantage, until this point. What you need is a divine move in order to turn the game around."

"Okay, so is anyone feeling divinely inspired?" Stiles asked hoping they can give him something to work with.

Kira spoke up from her spot on the couch, "Mom, you said you trapped it in a glass jar, right?"

"It wasn't the jar that trapped it. It was where I buried it."

"The Nemeton," Stiles said. The one cursed object in his life that seems to always be making an appearance the powerful object that connected him to Gabriella and to all of this.

"A place I don't know too much about."

"Who does?" Kira asked knowing they are running out of time especially for Gabriella.

Stiles looked at the Yukimura family from his perch on their couch, "Deaton. Deaton does," the illusive veterinarian who seemed to always know more than he lets on that could also be said for his sister.

* * *

Lydia stood in the Animal Clinic and was on the verge of unraveling. Allison, her best friend, was gone. She had to live with the feeling knowing what that felt like. She watched and felt her friend take her final breath as she proclaimed her love for Scott and how Allison tried to give her a squeeze in letting her know how much she valued their friendship, but the blew didn't end there when Stiles emerged from that tunnel with no Gabriella.

Her cousin was missing along with the Nogitsune a move not one of them expected. She couldn't even communicate with her cousin; there was dead silence from everything she tried to manipulate to reveal Gabriella's location and her ears weren't bleeding so that could be either seen as a positive or negative that Gabriella was okay or she didn't want to be found.

Lydia brought her attention back to Scott relaying what Stiles relayed over the phone about the Nemeton being the one to trap the Nogitsune to Deaton.

"The problem is this isn't even a person you're fighting. It just looks like one. It's a spirit that's taken the shape of a human." Deaton told the teenagers who were involved in things they should not even being worried about and couldn't help but take the blame, as he was a part of telling them about the sacrifice to jumpstart the Nemeton.

"The shape of my best friend," Scott said his voice strained.

"Someone caught it once. Someone can do it again, right?" Lydia enquired knowing from the history of how the Nogitsune was taken out before can be repeated in their favor. History always repeated itself and they had the scroll.

"I don't know. This thing was trapped twice, once before the Nemeton was cut down and after but it had the blood of a sacrifice to hold it until now. It doesn't have the same power anymore. When the tree was whole, its wood was sometimes used to contain powerful objects. But those objects are very rare."

Lydia thought back to the triskele urn that holds Talia Hale's claws, a powerful object, "Wait a second. Powerful objects? Like an Alpha's claws?"

"Which Alpha?"

"Talia Hale. Peter had them in this wooden box with a triskelia carved on the lid. What if it was made from the Nemeton?"

Deaton thought back to wooden box he made years ago, "It was. I made it."

Scott stepped out to make the call to Derek about the triskelia box; Lydia walked up to Deaton, "What about my cousin? Why would he take her?"

"I honestly don't know." Deaton told the strawberry blonde sadly. Lydia stepped back and felt a rushing feeling pass through her with a group of voices that almost had her faint but Scott manages to catch her.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked.

"Something's happening. I had this sudden rushing feeling, like we're running out of time."

"Yeah, I kind of got that feeling, too." Stiles said with Kira's help walking into the clinic.

* * *

Gabriella did not know how long she was left alone in the dingy basement at the school when the Nogitsune appeared in front of her looking even more pale and sickly. She cannot help but wonder if Stiles looked the same and if he was really dying. Just thinking about everything that was happening she could feel the pricks of tears coming from her eyes. She wanted to scream, but if it turned into one of those screams it would probably give away her location and just bringing them here would make things worse.

The Nogitsune did not speak as he unlocked the cuffs on her wrist as soon as both hands were free and she checked her wrists with the red impressions she went to punch him the face, but with cat like reflexes he caught her wrist and managed to turn her around with her face colliding with the wall with her arm pinned behind her back making her cry out in pain, "I should have seen that coming shouldn't I?" The Nogitsune said into her ear chuckling. "But it's your time to shine. Your friends are coming."

"Why are you doing this? I have no value."

"I told Stiles I was going to kill them one by one."

Roughly he turned Gabriella around with her back to his chest both hands firmly gripped on her upper arms and Gabriella felt the bruises forming already. Gabriella struggled to get out of his hold, "What are you doing!"

"Patience, my little screamer, I hit up every place that means something to Stiles this is my last stop…my final move."

Gabriella's confusion soon turned to panic when one Oni materialized out of the shadows slowly walked in front of her. The Nogitsune smirked as Gabriella tried to cave her body into his trying to edge back from the Oni getting closer keeping her firm in his grip he watched in delight when the Oni took the sword that formed out of his chest and slashed her across her abdomen making her scream out in pain. He knew her new found friends would hear that.

The Nogitsune dropped her to the ground and she screamed out in even more pain from her stomach taking the brunt of the force. She heard the Nogitsune snicker out from her cry of pain before he left the room.

Gabriella's eyes were burning from the salt of her tears as she laid down on her back and slid back to the fence and got a good look at her wound that was stinging as if someone was pouring acid on her and she saw black smoke being emitted from it. She scrunched up her shirt to try to apply pressure and stop the bleeding as she gingerly got up from her position on the floor. She began walking into the direction the Nogitsune left. She kept her hand on the wall as it guided her in the dark until she found a door. Not exactly knowing where it would lead with her bloody handprint she pushed it open and she fell on her knees into snow that was quickly becoming red.

"Oh look Stiles, our friend has joined us." The Nogitsune told Stiles and his group of friends.

"Gabriella!" Lydia screamed. She went to move toward her cousin but Scott stopped her.

Gabriella looked up and saw Scott, Kira, Lydia, and Stiles on the other side of this area. If she was not in so much pain from the cut she would have said something but all she could worry about was the pain eating away at her flesh and looking back down she saw the blood from her wound soaking the snow beneath her.

Stiles heard Gabriella moan in palpable pain and saw the snow around her quickly darken with blood, "What did you do to her!"

"Like I promised, Stiles…we're going to kill all of them…one by one." He told the group of teenagers as he summoned four Oni surrounding the group.

Stiles took in his surroundings he noticed the snow was covering what looked like a living room. He could faintly see they were outside in the wood, "What the hell is this? Where are we?"

"Between life and death."

"Bardo."

"But there are no peaceful deities here, Lydia. You're dying, Stiles. And now everyone you care about is dying, too."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I've captured almost all of the territories on the board, Stiles…the hospital…the sheriff's station…the animal clinic…and now the school." The Nogitsune taunted them, "Ahh! Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Stiles?"

"No, and I don't want to."

"When a samurai disembowels himself with his own sword to maintain his honor, but that's not the cut that kills him. The killing stroke is made by his kaishakunin, who beheads the samurai with his own katana. Scott is your kaishakunin. I'm going to make your best friend kill you, Stiles. And you're going to let him. Because just like you, they're all going to die. Everyone touched by an Oni's blade. Just like the girl over there dying in the snow bleeding out. Unless Scott kills you first."

Lydia who was watching her cousin from across the room noticed her cousin seemed to be getting weaker as she couldn't even move from her position and an all too familiar feeling is settling into her bones while she felt liquid drip from her ear, "She is dying guys."

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Stiles said looking over at Gabriella not taking his eyes off her.

"To win the game," The Oni then began attacking Scott and Kira.

Lydia and Stiles huddled to stay clear of the fight ensuing, "We need to get to Gabriella." Stiles told Lydia as he watched Gabriella lean against a boulder she was able to weakly crawl to prompting herself up to holding a hand to her massive wound with blood seeping into her shirt and down to her legs. Lydia nodding helped Stiles up. Scott and Kira managing the Oni and partly distracting them, Stiles and Lydia were able to make it to Gabriella.

Gabriella was looking pale from the blood loss and the poison from the blade as black smoke still was being emitted. Lifting her head up, she tried to give them a reassuring smile despite her dying. She thought maybe Meredith was right this was her death, but it still didn't feel like it. Maybe Gabriella just skipped right to the denial phase of dying. Gabriella felt the blood spilling from her mouth and staining her teeth from her smile. She saw the look of panic on both Lydia and Stiles' face.

"It's okay. It's okay. Please don't panic, it will cause me to panic," Gabriella forced out weakly.

"Gabriella you're bleeding from your mouth." Lydia said applying pressure to her cousin's wound totally ignoring Gabriella's plea to not panic.

Gabriella winced in pain and struggled to breathe looked up at Stiles and extended her bloody hand latching on to his, "Loo- Look at b-be-behind m-me. The b-book and d-de-desk." Gabriella stressed to get out taking most of her energy causing her to close her eyes before Lydia began to gently shake her to stay awake.

Stiles with her hand firmly in his looked behind the boulder and his eyes widen in realization at the business textbook on top of the student desk. He realized they still had a move left. "It's an illusion," he shouted out to the group, "You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but Scott, you gotta trust me, it's an illusion."

Stiles attention was brought back to Gabriella's as he felt her grip loosen as she coughed up some blood, "Guys, I can't-I need to close my eyes I am so tired," Gabriella told them breathlessly as she was fading fast.

"Hey no, Gabriella don't you dare close your eyes." Lydia all but screamed at her cousin holding her cousins face in-between her shaky hands. Lydia looked up at Stiles, "How are we going to get her out of here? I don't think this is an illusion."

Stiles turned around and watched as the Oni lined up in formation at the door leading out of this illusion. He didn't say anything to Lydia, but instead used the last remainder of his strength to pick up Gabriella. "I'm sorry." He told her as he took off his plaid shirt and tied it around her open wound making her whimper in pain. He then placed her arm around his shoulder. "Lydia, take her other side."

They both managed to lift Gabriella out of the snow and this time there wasn't a sound of pain escaping her lips. They walk over to where Scott and Kira were standing where the Oni are waiting for them with their swords drawn.

"You have no moves left Stiles," the Nogitsune said.

"I do…a divine move."

Scott and Kira began walking through being sliced with the swords. Scott managed to reach the door first opening it causing them to end back up in the school hallway.

"We're okay." Scott exclaimed aloud, but they weren't.

Stiles felt the weight of Gabriella increase, "We need to set her down." Stiles said immediately and he saw how shallow her breaths were becoming as Lydia felt for a pulse.

"It's weak…"

But then they heard the slam of a body meeting a locker and Kira meeting Scott on the floor as her sword rattle on the ground.

Lydia was back at his side as they came face to face with a pissed off Nogitsune, "This was my game. You think you can beat me at my game?" He roared as he began rushing towards them, "Divine move. Divine move. You think you have any moves at all? You can kill the Oni. But me? Me? I'm a thousand years old. You can't kill me!"

"But we can change you." Lydia responded causing the Nogitsune to stop his flank on them.

"What?"

"You forgot about the scroll…the Shugendo scroll," Lydia added on and they watched as the Nogitsune's face fell in realization.

"Change the host," the Nogitsune whispered.

"You can't be a fox and a wolf." Stiles added as Scott leaped up from behind the Nogitsune and bit him in the arm causing the Nogitsune to scream. When Scott finally let go, Kira stabbed him through the heart with her katana and they all witnessed the lights in the school beginning to flicker and a fly came buzzing out of its mouth down the hallway only to be caught by Isaac with the Triskelion box.

Their attention turned back to the Nogitsune as his body began to twitch and jerk before it suddenly stilled and began to dry out and crack like clay before it fell on the floor turning to dust which dissipated in to nothing.

Stiles looking at a copy of him disappearing into thin air felt his own body becoming weak and his eyes began to flutter close as his knees buckled.

Gabriella snapped awake and her vision was filled with green eyes looking at her with worry.

"Oh my god, I thought you were dead," Lydia told her cousin.

"For a minute there I think I was," Gabriella said as she looked down at her stomach that was wrapped in Stiles' plaid shirt. While trying to stand up she asked, "Is Stiles okay…is it gone?"

"Wait, Gabriella, let's check your wound first," Lydia said as she untied the shirt and Gabriella flinched as the cool air hit the wound.

"Are you in any pain?" Gabriella snapped her head to the voice of Isaac who was watching the scene.

"No," Gabriella said as she looked down at her stomach where the wound looked now superficial and shallow.

Lydia seeing the wound was non-fatal crushed her into a hug, "I was so scared I was going to lose you again."

"It's okay, I'm fine."

Gabriella sensed something was wrong when she looked back up at her cousin who she suspected had the same feeling as it felt as if ice slid down their backs. "You should go." Gabriella said as Lydia rushed out the school's door.

"What's happening what's wrong?"

Gabriella turned to Scott who was hovering over Stiles, "Its Aiden." Gabriella moved from her spot as she walked closer to Scott, "Is he okay?" She asked referencing to Stiles.

"Yeah, I think he just fainted."

"I can stay with him…" Gabriella offered. Gabriella didn't know how close they all were, but with the loss of Allison she knew all of them were still fragile, "It's okay…I'll tell him you are just outside."

Scott gave her an appreciative smile as he, Kira, and Isaac went outside leaving her and Stiles in the school. Gabriella extended her legs in front of her and gently placed Stiles head on top of her legs. She noticed he wasn't as cold anymore and the bruises that were set deep under his eyes were becoming lighter.

She was only running her hands through his hair for a couple of minutes when she felt him move and his eyes fluttered open, "Oh, God, I fainted, didn't I?"

Gabriella gave him a small smile, "I believe so. I was totally unconscious for the finale."

She watched as his eyes widen in panic, but she appeased him, "I'm okay. I shouldn't even be left with a scar, hopefully."

Stiles exhaled a relieved breathe as he leaned up on his knees, "Where is everyone?"

"Outside…it's Aiden."

"Oh…" Stiles said with a frown on his face as he got up from the floor with Gabriella following.

Gabriella grabbed ahold of his hand before they began to walk outside to join the rest of the pack, "We'll be okay, Stiles."


	18. Requiem

The day contradicted the desolate mood as it was bright and sunny as they all gathered around the closed rose gold casket that was surrounded by various types of flowers from roses to lilies. There was a collage of photos next to the elegant casket highlighting the bright, but short life of the girl resting in it. Gabriella thought the pictures brought back the reality that this was only a teenager who laid here. How this fallen warrior's life was stolen from her.

It wasn't a large crowd. The mourners for the burial consisted of her, Lydia, Chris Argent, Deaton, Scott, Melissa, Stiles, the Sheriff, Isaac, and Derek.

Kira, Ethan, and their friend Danny departed shortly after the private viewing.

Her body teemed with all the guilt of all the mourners were feeling as they tried to compose themselves for their fallen daughter, friend, and first love.

It had been close to a week since everything that happened.

It had been a week since the reality of what had happened settled in, when the absence settled in.

She knew Chris was barely holding it together by a thread.

When arriving to the cemetery she didn't miss that his daughter was going to be buried next to his wife, the dates weren't that far apart.

Gabriella didn't know how this man was going to survive. Guilt was a lethal emotion along with one like hope that ruined. She could see Chris' body trembling as he looked at the casket holding his only daughter. He would never see her graduate, marry, or have kids. He would never see her smile or laugh again.

She knew he was probably thinking that he was a hunter and he should have been able to protect her, as her father he should have been in that casket. He should have been on the receiving end of the Oni's katana.

But there wasn't a violent solution to combat Allison's violent end.

Next to Chris was her cousin who had streaks of black mascara streaming down her cheeks. Gabriella felt her only cousin was still in shock as the reality hit her. In the silence that was when she noticed her friend's absence. Gabriella knew Lydia was hoping her friend would try to talk to her through their frequency only they could hear. Gabriella thought hearing her friend on the other side would be worse. It wouldn't be healthy to hold onto that hope.

Gabriella tried to apologize for failing to deliver the message that could have saved her friend, but Lydia insisted it wasn't her fault. Tragic things like this happened, it couldn't be avoided. It was simply fate. It was fate bad things happened to good people.

On top of her cousin mourning for her best friend, her cousin also had to mourn for a boy that sought her approval to show her he was a good guy. She didn't know if Lydia loved Aiden, but she knew the "what ifs" still hurt as much if she did love him.

Next to Lydia was Scott who was wrapped in his mother's arms. She wouldn't be surprised if the pain of losing his first love would cause his eyes to be glowing red until the wound of this scabbed over or it burned like a tattoo or an open wound. She didn't know Scott and Allison's backstory. She didn't know anything about them. All she knew they were both were 17; Scott held a girl he was in love with in his arms while she spoke her final words and exhaled her final breath.

He heard when her heart stopped beating. A melody like that doesn't ever leave your ears.

After Melissa who was trying to be strong for her son was Isaac who seemed numb. His grief wasn't violent like Chris and Scott's. He was motionless as salty tears rimmed his eyes. From what Stiles told her, he and Allison were tiptoeing into a relationship and Isaac felt that guilt of Allison killing that Oni with her last silver arrow as it went to give him the killing blow for it to be transferred to her.

Thinking back to Scott, she didn't know how either of them, him or Isaac, would ever get rid of the feeling of the weight of Allison's casket off their shoulders.

Isaac was the last in the front row behind him was Derek. He was still in reverence, from his guilt she felt he was remembering about his first love and her premature passing how it weighed on his soul and changed the color of his eyes. Throughout the ceremony she saw from the corner of her eyes him give Isaac many squeezes of assurances.

Next to Derek was Deaton who gave a deep speech on loss and how Allison passed away saving her friends. Allison now was able to protect them from a world beyond them. Even though she wasn't with all of her friends physically she would never leave them as she would be in their hearts forever. But what stuck with her the most was his ending quote:

" _Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same_ "

This quote immediately made her think of the boy who sat next to her with his own father. His guilt outshined the rest. She knew eventually her being able to read him like this would fade away as this type of guilt would be a tiny indent on his soul compared to the guilt of one like Derek who physically took a life with his claws.

She highly suspected what Stiles was feeling and going through despite his tactics of deflection. She knew what they all went through would forever taint them, but Stiles even more. She saw it as his eyes became glossy and he had to quickly look away and distract himself. She saw it every time he looked down at his hands or when he washed them how raw he scrubbed them.

She wasn't going to force him to talk about it.

He knew she was there for him.

She would be there for him to recover.

When he sought out her hand during the ceremony and covered her hand with his she wondered if fingerprints left the same impression as footprints.

* * *

Ever since they handled the Nogitsune it seemed to have an effect on the weather. The days didn't seem dark or dreary, but it was constantly sunny. There wasn't even a chance of rain threatening to storm through Beacon Hills, so Gabriella was taking advantage of the weather. She wasn't going to start school fully until they came back from Thanksgiving break when it was really only a few days so far they only had her transitioning into Beacon Hills with a few classes so she officially took over Kira's status as the new girl. Luckily it seemed to be under wraps that her absence in the last eight years was due to her being a resident at Eichen House.

So for now she had to get used to the attention especially the male population. Lydia seemed to like the distraction of using her as a Barbie Doll and giving her advice on flirting and such.

Lydia was fine for a time when going back to school without Allison, but Gabriella found her cousin one day in the bathroom having a breakdown when the realization hit her that her best friend wasn't there. They wouldn't be in the same classes; there would be no shopping for prom dresses, or even walking across the stage for graduation.

She just held her cousin who cried because she was scared because she didn't want to lose anyone else like she lost Allison and for a moment Gabriella thought she was alluding to her.

Gabriella still didn't know if Meredith's predication of her death had to do with her stomach being slashed by the Oni's poisoned sword. Gabriella still doesn't know if she really died, but she hadn't mentioned this to anyone.

The last time she spoke to Meredith over the phone it seemed that this message wasn't that relevant anymore as Meredith didn't seem distressed at all and since the end of the Nogitsune's terror Meredith seemed to be doing better in handling the voices.

Gabriella was lucky since leaving Eichen House everything was silent. She didn't really get any messages or feelings. She was able to enjoy the freedom and quiet. Like now, she enjoyed hearing the sound of the chirping birds and the whizzing of cars passing by. She loved feeling the air running with her hair and how it tickled her skin.

Walking along the sidewalk she couldn't help but pick the dandelions that were sprouting in various lawns, by time she saw the familiar blue powered jeep she had about a dozen of the weeds in her hands.

Gabriella reached the Stilinski's home and went to knock on the door where it was quickly opened by the Sheriff who had a warm and welcoming smile and a coffee cup in his hand, "I knew that was you outside walking, why are you walking by yourself?"

The Sheriff knew the nightmare the trickster Japanese fox brought was over, but he still was on high alert as he knew that there were probably much more supernatural creatures roaming about in Beacon Hills and a petite girl like Gabriella should not be roaming the streets by herself.

"I was just out walking and getting some fresh air than somehow I managed to get here."

"Well I am pretty sure you are here to see Stiles. He is up in his room."

Gabriella gave the Sheriff a smile as she walked the familiar path to Stiles when she stopped midway up the stairs, "Hey Sheriff?"

"Yeah?"

"I uhh wanted to say sorry for my attitude when you first came to Eichen House."

"Oh don't worry about." The Sheriff said and really meant it. He had dealt with far worse, and he completely understood where she was coming from. Looking at her face, he could see there is something else on her mind. "Is there something else you need to tell me?"

Gabriella didn't know if it was really her place and she didn't want to upset the Sheriff of all people, "I feel it might be completely inappropriate to mention anything about this topic."

The Sheriff confused walked up to the railing and set the mug down on it, "You can tell me."

Gabriella took a look at the coffee cup, "The cup it was Mrs. Stilinski?"

The Sheriff perplexed by the question looked back at the ceramic mug that was stained from coffee from being overused, and he could tell whatever floral design was adorning the mug was slowly fading. The design brought back memories of his wife always having coffee and orange juice for her two men as she called him and Stiles for breakfast. "Yeah, yeah. It is. Was."

"She didn't feel any pain." Gabriella blurted out. "She isn't upset. You can let go of that guilt. She is proud of the men you both became and are becoming." Gabriella said giving the Sheriff a gentle squeeze on the shoulder as the whispers from the cup faded out and she made her way to Stiles' room.

Reaching Stiles room, despite the door being open she still knocked anyways as she spoke out, "I come bearing gifts." She said holding the bouquet of dandelions and she watched a smile grace his face.

Stiles rose from his bed and accepted the weeds as he walked over to his window sill and placed them in a vase with other ones, "These can go with your other ones."

Gabriella gave him a small warm smile. She didn't realize she basically brought the weeds with her every time she came which was practically every day.

Since everything that happened it just seemed natural that she would prefer the company of Stiles. It just felt comforting sometimes they didn't even talk they just sat in silence. None of them had breached what their feelings were in regard to his possession and the circumstances surrounding it. The only serious topic they breached was how her transition was going being out of Eichen House although when he tried to question about Brunksi she quickly shut him down saying she wasn't ready for that.

Gabriella took a seat on Stiles' bed as he walked back with one dandelion in his hand and placed it behind her ear with a smile. Gabriella was reminded about the books Lydia recently bought for her since she learned of her affection of dandelions. It was the _Hunger Games Trilogy_ , more specifically, the last one _Mockingjay,_ where Katniss described how she didn't need any more fire in her life, but that dandelion in the spring. Gabriella couldn't really relate to Katniss about having so much fire, but she could relate to needing that bright yellow to remind her of life could be good again. After death and loss, rebirth can come from the ashes. Maybe there was some symbolism or connection that she brought Stiles dandelions when she came here, but she didn't know all she knew she wanted to show Stiles what she saw in the dandelions and that she saw him in the dandelions too sometimes.

"So did you walk here by yourself again?" Stiles asked breaking her out of her thoughts.

Gabriella gave him a sheepish smile, "Maybe."

"Gabi…"

"I know, I know, you told me to call you for a ride, but I didn't even realize I was coming down here to I was here."

"I bet you don't even have your phone either."

She flushed knowing she couldn't lie to Stiles and he saw it. With transitioning back into a teenager world where there were plenty of indulgences Gabriella was having a hard time accepting all this technology on her twenty four seven. She knew Stiles mostly was sometimes frustrated with her competence as she would take hours to reply to text, forget to charge it, or like right now not even have it on her.

"It's not intentional," she said quickly.

"I know, but I worry."

Gabriella frowned at his statement. She realized Stiles worried about everyone else, but himself. He was always last on the list. She knew no one was really trying to talk about how he was actually doing. She wasn't even sure if he knew how he was doing. She knew he was quickly becoming submerged as the lead beta in Scott's pack as he tried to help Scott contain his new beta, Liam, who was having a hard time in controlling his sprouts of anger and didn't seem all that accepting of werewolves in general.

She knew Stiles was more concerned about how his friend was handling what happened with Allison. She knew Stiles was more concerned about the bills coming from Eichen House. She knew Stiles was more concerned that she had loose leaf paper or a pencil for class than himself.

Every time she tried to lead the conversation somewhere where breaching seemed it needed to be down he quickly deflected.

Gabriella looked around his room. It was bare for the most part since he took down all the articles that littered his walls. It seemed he was indecisive on what he planned to do. It seemed like he wanted to change his room around.

"You should paint your room."

"What?" She knew Stiles wasn't all that grateful for the change of subject.

"You should paint your room maybe paint it a darker blue."

Stiles looked around his room, "Well I do need a change of scenery."

"We can do it over break. I can draw you a picture too." Gabriella said smiling.

"Yeah, you still haven't shown me your artwork."

"Well, I'll have to show you sometime then."

Gabriella looked up to find Stiles watching her intently. She had become familiar with this stare. They both have as they regarded each other intently blue and brown clashing. She didn't know how to describe this stare other than comparing it to butterflies maybe. She just knew she liked being on the receiving end as it made her give him the most goofiest smile much to his amusement. It always ended with them holding hands. Their hands fitted together as pieces to a puzzle it never went any further than her maybe leaning on him with her head on his shoulder like now.

"Where does this lead too?" Stiles asked his voice soft and at ease as his thumb rubbed the top of her hand.

Gabriella didn't really know. She just knew right now they weren't ready for anything beyond this, but like a dandelion there was promise. Gabriella brought her head up and looked at him with a smile, "Well I was hoping for some pizza, maybe a movie, ice cream and brownies would be nice too and maybe when things regress back to the mean a date or two could be added to the list." She told him as she placed the dandelion behind his ear.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Flavia Weedn


End file.
